Levitt wrong on Legg

Many of you will have seen the coverage in the local papers and similar coverage elsewhere in the national media over the recent letters to MP’s by Sir Thomas Legg, who has been conducting a audit of MP’s expenses.

In the national media coverage there been details of the letters sent to a variety of MP’s including the Prime Minister and various high MP’s from all parties either detailing that they had money to repay or whatever the details were.
However locally in a complete about face from his earlier stance on the expenses issue, our local MP Tom Levitt has decided that the letter is an item of private correspondence to be responded to accordingly.

In my view given Tom’s earlier stance on the expenses issues was to be as open as possible and get as much information as possible on the issue available to people, this current stance is wrong, and I would rather hear that Tom was taking similar action to Frank Field in challenging the results of the audit, than to hear this is a private matter.

I do hope that given Tom’s neighbouring MP’s in Tameside have revealed the details of their letters, Tom will be able to follow suit and whilst I don’t have some of the concerns expressed elsewhere on other sites and blogs the earlier openness on the expenses issues should be replicated now or does the earlier comments from Tom on those MP’s who will not be forgiven from bringing their role into disrepute no longer apply.