Given all the coverage in the press recently about MPs’ expenses claims I thought residents would find it useful to have an update on my claims as a local councillor.

Since I was first elected to Bury St Edmunds Town Council in 2005 and St Edmundsbury Borough Council in 2007, I haven’t claimed a single penny in expenses. Furthermore, if elected to Suffolk County Council on June 4, I will not submit any expenses claims in relation to this role.

Borough and County Councillors are provided with not insubstantial allowances and in my opinion these should be used to cover the expenses we incur. It is true to say that the allowances do not nearly compensate for the time involved (in my case over 20 hours a week) – in fact when I worked out how much my allowance compensated me for per hour each year it worked out at less than the minimum wage. It is also true to say that I and many of my colleagues could make a huge amount more money if we dedicated this time to our jobs. However, Councillors do not stand for election to make money and, personally, I could not claim for every short journey or indeed the occasional meal (which I would have consumed regardless of my location) with a clear conscience.

So to be clear – I have made no expenses claims since I was first elected in 2005 and this will continue to be the case regardless of which council I sit on.