I AM curious to know how an MP’s expenses are worked out. For instance, take two local members of parliament both belonging to the same party both living within 20 miles of each other. Between them they have been paid over £330,000 out of the public purse.

That equates to £1 for every man woman and child living in Wirral. That, remember, is not including the wages for the job they do.

Now at a pound each, that must be worth at least one letter, perhaps a phone call, or even a knock on the door, at best if you take the time and trouble to visit them a brief chat to see if you are happy with things.

Question: Do you think you have had a pound’s worth from your member of parliament? Perhaps if they both shared an office, each with their own staff, perhaps they could make a saving on the postage, communications, and stationery, that would be a huge help. They could even co-ordinate their travel arrangements, that would result in reducing their individual carbon footprint, that surely is a good thing.

Bearing in mind we already support a huge council staff, and 66 elected councilors, don’t you think could we manage with maybe just one national MP for the Wirral? One who is only interested in the people of Wirral regardless of political party. That alone could produce a saving of £150.000, perhaps just 50p per household.

Hugo Marchen, Heswall

Shocked

MANY readers of the Daily Post will have been, like I, shocked at the revelations surrounding MPs’ expenses.

On July 3, 2008, the MP for Wirral West, Mr Stephen Hesford, voted against the external auditing of allowances and as the MP with 15th highest claims in the UK and the highest on Merseyside, I therefore wonder if there was an ulterior motive.

Over the past four years, his average second home allowance claim has been £21,550 (per year). In the year 2005-6 he submitted (according to figures seen last week) a claim for £5,599 for a new bathroom. The Fees Office challenged this and it was subsequently reduced to £3,500. I, and I guess many of his electorate would like to see what else Mr Hesford has claimed for.

Geoff Gubb, Upton

An example to all

IT IS of course a fantastic honour and privilege to be chosen as Liverpool’s first citizen, to represent our city in any capacity is something to be proud of. However some do it better than others and Steve Rotheram was an example for others to follow.

So I just wanted to write and express my thanks to Steve, his wife Sandra and to Steven Jnr, Samantha and Haylie, and to tell them how proud I was of the fantastic job they all did representing our city for the last year.

As leader of the Labour Party, I have been absolutely overwhelmed with positive comments about Steve and his family I know how hard he worked and how dedicated and passionate he is about our city.

The 2000 events he attended and the £600,000 he raised was fantastic but the image he showed of our great city was priceless. Well done Steve, Sandra and the kids.

Cllr Joe Anderson, Labour Group Leader

We need the EU

THE ballot paper for the European Election on Thursday has the names of 12 political parties and one individual. Although I think that the European Parliament is in need of reform, which will be done to some extent by the Lisbon Treaty, I shall vote for the only party, the Liberal Democrats, that seems to me to be trying to make the best of the present situation.

Our Northwest of England MEP, Chris Davies, is the only British MEP in the list of four considered as "Star Performers" in the only weekly newspaper (European Voice) that gives the most comprehensive reporting of European Institutions.

Too many of our national newspapers do not have even one reporter based in Brussels and cannot give a reliable report. However much the UK tries, we need the EU to have sufficient effect on such things as cross-border crime, air pollution and tackling climate change, loss of biodiversity, fishery policies (before all the fish stocks have gone), energy needs and controlling pressures of immigration in a world where the population increases by 200,000 each day. Our everyday lives depend too much on Europe for us not to vote in this election.

Alastair Jenkins, West Cheshire

No surprise

IT IS hardly surprising that trust in MPs has plummeted following the whole expenses scandal (“No trust in MPs”, Daily Post, June 2). Few people had much faith in MPs as it was but now to find that so many of them have been all but fleecing us senseless for everything from moat cleaning to family photographs is nothing less than a kick in the teeth for the hard-working taxpayer.

The sooner we get the chance to boot out the wrong-doers the better. Call a General Election now Mr Brown.

G Howells, West Kirby

Destruction

SOME time ago, the Liverpool airport company, in partnership with the Mersey Forest project, had a scheme whereby people could attempt to off-set the carbon dioxide produced, as a result of their individual air travel.

Basically, these people paid to have trees planted, with the intention that the carbon dioxide absorbed, as the trees grow, will balance out that released, due to air travel.

Therefore, I would like to think that the trees planted at Tarbock Hall Farm, on the edge of Liverpool, in recent years, are not part of this scheme. In recent months, about 10 acres of the newly created woodland at this site, has been destroyed by a firm tipping huge volumes of demolition waste across the site.

It is also extremely insensitive to be destroying the breeding sites of birds, when they are in the middle of nesting.

Paul Slater, South Liverpool