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| London Politician Spends £2,000 On Taxis In A Year http://www.taxi-driver.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11756 |
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| Author: | Brummie Cabbie [ Tue Jul 07, 2009 4:22 pm ] |
| Post subject: | London Politician Spends £2,000 On Taxis In A Year |
London Politician Spends £2,000 On Taxis In A Year Brian Coleman, the only assembly member who refused to publish his expenses online, has come under fire before. 7th July 2009 The only member of the London assembly to refuse to publish an itemised breakdown of his expenses claims has notched up almost £2,000 in taxi fares in the last year. Brian Coleman, the Conservative assembly member for Barnet and Camden, has come under fire before for his spending on taxis. Last month an assembly committee recommended that assembly members publish their expenses, following the resignation of Boris Johnson's former deputy mayor, Ian Clement, over claims he made that turned out to be wrong. Coleman is the only one of 25 assembly members to refuse to publish his expenses online. But according to the Greater London Authority's statement of accounts, Coleman spent £1,946 in taxi fares for assembly business in 2008-2009. Coupled with the cost of a travel card paid for by city hall to the tune of £1,784, this brings the total amount of expenses incurred by Coleman in his capacity as an assembly member over the past year to £3,730 — the third-highest bill after Johnson and his deputy mayor Richard Barnes.A spokesman for the Conservative group said that the assembly had originally set a date for 15 July for the publication of receipts before the date was moved forward by the assembly's business management and administration commiuttee. "Other people have decided to comply with that but Brian said no, I' m going to do what was originally said and [publish] by 15 July," said the spokesman. In 2007-2008, he spent over £8,000 in taxi fares — more than the other 24 members of the Greater London Assembly put together. The year before, he notched up over £10,000 in fares.Two weeks ago, it was reported that Johnson spent £4,698 on taxis as part of an overall claim for his first year in office of £8,170, casting doubt on his self-avowed attachment to using just two wheels to get around London. Meanwhile Barnes, who is also the London assembly member for Ealing and Hillingdon, incurred £2,921 as part of a total expense claim of £5,732. Source; guardian.co.uk |
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| Author: | GBC [ Tue Jul 07, 2009 6:16 pm ] |
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Coleman breeds on critisism from others. A strange man indeed. |
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| Author: | toots [ Tue Jul 07, 2009 6:35 pm ] |
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I think that whilst there is still public transport running they should not be allowed to claim for taxi fares unless (and they can prove it) it is an emergency and unavoidable. As with most other things this will blow over and be forgotten about when another crisis hits the government 
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| Author: | GBC [ Tue Jul 07, 2009 6:40 pm ] |
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A senior Tory on the London Assembly refused to publish his expenses today, declaring that his detailed claims were “none of the public's business”. Brian Coleman said that only the “mad, bad and the sad” were interested in the “minutiae” of his taxi bills and other costs picked up by the taxpayer. Mr Coleman's stance openly defies moves by Boris Johnson and the London Assembly to publish itemised expenses to shed light on the workings of City Hall. The Mayor, his advisers and 24 members of the Assembly have all voluntarily agreed to print their detailed claims ahead of moves to make the practice compulsory next week. Mr Coleman is the only politician not to have done so. He said today that he had nothing to hide but felt that his expenses had already been fully audited and there was no need to publicise details. “I won't do it voluntarily. It's none of the public's business. They have coped well without knowing this kind of detail for more that 75 years,” he said. “They are not entitled to drool over our personal lives. I'm not going to help the mad, bad and the sad, the bloggers on the internet. I'm not pandering to mob rule. It undermines democracy to suggest that all MPs, all politicians are the spawn of Beelzebub. “Politicians with lower expenses tend to be the politicians who do least work. Those with higher expenses are the ones who do most work.” The Standard has discovered from quarterly audit returns that Mr Coleman has racked up a £1,946 bill for taxis from April last year to May this year — the third highest of anyone in the authority. Mr Coleman is also entitled to expenses in his capacity as chairman of London's fire authority. Last month, he came under attack for running up a £378 taxi (GLH Miniscab) bill for one event, most of which stemmed from keeping a cab waiting while he attended a banquet. Sources close to the Mayor said: “Boris has made it clear from day one that transparency and openness are the heart of his administration. “He is disappointed when any Assembly member doesn't appreciate that the public rightly expect to know what's being done by their elected representatives in their name and with their money.” Deputy Labour leader John Biggs said: “In the interests of transparency Mr Coleman should publish his claims. His secrecy must be an embarrassment for Boris.” Labour also faced embarrassment as fully itemised receipts were published for the first time. Jennette Arnold, the Labour chairwoman of a City Hall committee scrutinising expenses, is herself repaying £187.19 public money spent on cabs for personal use. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/sta...ubl ... article.do |
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| Author: | Sussex [ Tue Jul 07, 2009 7:48 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: London Politician Spends £2,000 On Taxis In A Year |
Brummie Cabbie wrote: In 2007-2008, he spent over £8,000 in taxi fares — more than the other 24 members of the Greater London Assembly put together. The year before, he notched up over £10,000 in fares.Two weeks ago, it was reported that Johnson spent £4,698 on taxis as part of an overall claim for his first year in office of £8,170, casting doubt on his self-avowed attachment to using just two wheels to get around London.
Gets my vote. 
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| Author: | Brummie Cabbie [ Tue Jul 07, 2009 8:04 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: London Politician Spends £2,000 On Taxis In A Year |
Sussex wrote: Brummie Cabbie wrote: In 2007-2008, he spent over £8,000 in taxi fares — more than the other 24 members of the Greater London Assembly put together. The year before, he notched up over £10,000 in fares.Two weeks ago, it was reported that Johnson spent £4,698 on taxis as part of an overall claim for his first year in office of £8,170, casting doubt on his self-avowed attachment to using just two wheels to get around London. Gets my vote. He wouldn't get mine!! For a politician he didn't spend nearly enough on cabs!! Vote him out & vote in another who really knows how to use taxis!!! |
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| Author: | toots [ Tue Jul 07, 2009 8:11 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: London Politician Spends £2,000 On Taxis In A Year |
Brummie Cabbie wrote: Sussex wrote: Brummie Cabbie wrote: In 2007-2008, he spent over £8,000 in taxi fares — more than the other 24 members of the Greater London Assembly put together. The year before, he notched up over £10,000 in fares.Two weeks ago, it was reported that Johnson spent £4,698 on taxis as part of an overall claim for his first year in office of £8,170, casting doubt on his self-avowed attachment to using just two wheels to get around London. Gets my vote. He wouldn't get mine!! For a politician he didn't spend nearly enough on cabs!! Vote him out & vote in another who really knows how to use taxis!!! I could seriously run up a taxi bill given half a chance and if that's all it takes to get the vote I'm standing 
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