Anne Main: "I have always been straight with the people of St Albans"

Anne Main's recent conversation with Nikki King, and her campaign pledges to the people of St Albans, are reproduced here:

Nikki: Why do you have a flat in St Albans?

Anne: I want and need to be at the very heart of our community. It helps me do my job much better and the MPs Commissioner agreed it was “reasonable in all the circumstances” given how hard I work.

Nikki: What happened when you won the election in 2005?

Anne: At the time I lived in Beaconsfield with my husband Andy and my family. I had a young son at school, and other family concerns that I needed to take into account.

So after seeking permission, I used some of an allowance available to MPs to help fund a small flat in St Albans. The Labour MP before me also used this same allowance to pay for a flat in Westminster.

Nikki: What did you do before you claimed some money for a flat?

Anne: The House of Commons’ HR Department checked the rules, and to help me do my job, they saw nothing wrong with using some of the allowances available to me to pay for a flat in St Albans.

As I had nothing to hide I even told our local newspapers about what I was doing.

Nikki: What has been the problem then?

Anne: 12 months later I let my 23-year-old daughter stay with me in the flat for a few days a week, but only after getting the ok from the HR department before doing so.

Nikki: Is that it?

Anne: Essentially, yes. One person complained that I let my 23 year old daughter, who was still living at home after finishing university, stay with me but not charge her rent. What mum wouldn’t want to spend time after work with her children? Yet the HR department rules actually warned MPs not to charge rent, and we were actively discouraged from doing so.

Nikki: What about all these moats, duck houses, expensive furnishings and flipping? Did you do that?

Anne: Absolutely not. I equipped the flat simply and functionally from B&Q, Wilkinson’s or similar shops. I’ve never ‘flipped’ and even the MPs Commissioner accepted there was no additional cost to the tax payer in my arrangements. Some MPs, from all three parties, claimed thousands for interior designers; luxury kitchens; and even rose gardens! That was outrageous.

Nikki: Why did you pay £5,000 back?

Anne: Despite what you might read in some political leaflets I was cleared of any deliberate wrong doing and it was found my daughter living with me didn’t cost the taxpayer any extra money. But it was decided that I had received an “emotional benefit” by letting my daughter stay with me and I was asked to pay some money back.

This was despite the fact that the Commissioner ruled that I had been given the wrong advice. As a result of his ruling the amount to be repaid was reduced, which I have now paid.

Nikki: What do you think of that?

Anne: Of course I feel upset that I was so badly advised and my family has been very hurt by all this, but everyone knows I never set out to break the rules. As an MP you expect political attack, but when attacks are personal and about my family then people deserve to know the facts. People want to know what you will do as an MP and what your policies are, not just be deluged with spin and negative leaflets.

Nikki: Do you intend to keep a home in St Albans?

Anne: MPs can’t claim for a second home in places like St Albans anymore. But I shall continue to maintain a home in St Albans it allows me to serve my constituents 100%.

Anne Main’s election pledge to St Albans residents

Anne said: “I restate the pledges I made when first elected, that means:

• I work 100% of the time for the people of St Albans.
• No second job.
• No employment of members of my family.
• I will maintain a home in St Albans.
• No involvement in ‘lobbying’; my interests are yours - not big business.
• I will work for every individual in St Albans, whatever their political allegiance.”