Yesterday we brought you the Cllrs allowances and expenses in three graphs. Now we will drill down into the detail of each Cllrs allowances and expenses claims, as submitted by each Cllr.
The first Cllr we put under the microscope is Cllr Jennifer Hollingsbee (pictured) – Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Communities, who in 2018/19 claimed £20,212 in allowances and expenses. And between May 2015 and May 2019 claimed £79,322.
All her expenses claims are downloadable and can be found at the end of this blog post.
Her expenses make it clear she claimed £2,215.95 for car related travel expenses. Cllr Hollingsbee claims for mileage from her home – TN25 6EB to the Civic Centre CT20 2QY. She states it is 22 miles. Google says it is a 19 miles round trip, as the map below shows. Cllrs can claim 45 pence a mile.
Therefore 19 miles x 45 pence = £8.55, however, Cllr Hollingsbee is claiming £9.90. This means there is an over claim of £1.35 (3 miles) for every journey back and forth between the Council and her home. As an aside, Cllr Clive Goddard’s expenses claims for 2018/19 uses Google’s mileage, it is deemed acceptable to the Council.
Over the year Cllr Hollingsbee mileage over claim adds up to £203.85. In February 2016 former Cllr Peter Simmons made inappropriate expenses claims of £210.15. He lost the whip and was driven out of office. Will the Council investigate Cllr Hollingsbee mileage claims and will her party drive her from office? We think not given the precarious situation her party finds itself in the chamber.
You can download the expenses below and in the column which says “Travel Claimed”, which uses a £ sign, when in fact it is the mileage, clearly supports what we have set out above.
We call upon the Monitoring Officer – Amandeep Khroud (pictured) who is the custodian of Councillors standards, the electors and other persons interested are the custodians of the custodian (Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes?) or at any rate her helpmates. As such, we the electors call upon her to initiate an investigation to re-appropriate the overpaid mileage expenses by Cllr Hollingsbee. This would demonstrate and prove Amandeep Khroud is not only the custodian of Cllrs standards, but of the public purse too. We also call upon the opposition to support our call for an investigation into this matter.
This is public money and the amount is not dissimilar to what Cllr Peter Simmons inappropriately claimed. Will Cllr Hollingsbee refund the public purse and make a public apology for doing so? What do you think?
As a Sellindge constituent I believe Jenny must now lose the whip and step down. There cannot be one rule for one and another for her. As the Shepwayvox Team make clear the opposition ought to make serious hay out of this.
Perhaps if rather than number crunching get in a car a drive it! You will soon find out the safest route is going along swan lane and down the A20 rather than the blind house lane junction which equates to 22miles. Whoever writes these reports do you always follow the shortest route or the safest one?
She should be asked to demonstrate why her mileage claim is correct. If she cannot or will not do so her claim should be investigated in detail. In particular, she should be made aware of the provisions of the Theft Act 1968 in particular, section 16 -obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception (link below).
Why do they get mileage expenses anyway? i had to pay my own travel expenses when i was at work, i wish just once we could get some one that actually cares about the place and not what they get out of it. It’s the reason i don’t vote now.
A valid point P. However Councillors do not work, hence the fact they receive an allowance and can charge expenses. Not to dissimilar to MP’s except Cllrs cannot claim for Duck Houses or their Moats to be cleaned.
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As a Sellindge constituent I believe Jenny must now lose the whip and step down. There cannot be one rule for one and another for her. As the Shepwayvox Team make clear the opposition ought to make serious hay out of this.
Perhaps if rather than number crunching get in a car a drive it! You will soon find out the safest route is going along swan lane and down the A20 rather than the blind house lane junction which equates to 22miles. Whoever writes these reports do you always follow the shortest route or the safest one?
Jim, Google says it is even shorter route down the A20 and they are accurate to within 10 metres.
She should be asked to demonstrate why her mileage claim is correct. If she cannot or will not do so her claim should be investigated in detail. In particular, she should be made aware of the provisions of the Theft Act 1968 in particular, section 16 -obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception (link below).
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1968/60/section/16/enacted
Why do they get mileage expenses anyway? i had to pay my own travel expenses when i was at work, i wish just once we could get some one that actually cares about the place and not what they get out of it. It’s the reason i don’t vote now.
A valid point P. However Councillors do not work, hence the fact they receive an allowance and can charge expenses. Not to dissimilar to MP’s except Cllrs cannot claim for Duck Houses or their Moats to be cleaned.
Might be worth a look at Councillors from Lydd?