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How much?

Betsan Powys | 10:59 UK time, Thursday, 2 July 2009

officescomp.jpgOn what will Roger Jones and his panel, who've looking carefullly at what AMs can claim in expenses and allowances, have honed in I wonder? Will he have got up this morning and smiled quietly having read our story which reveals the very common practice of AMs and MPs renting offices from their own parties. Fine if done properly you might say. Why shouldn't political parties who have well-known offices in town centres house the office of the local AM? Not so fine when it looks as though the parties have done very well from the arrangements.

Will he have read and whispered to himself, not for long? Mind you he might have noticed that most claim nothing or next to nothing.

On Monday we find out what they think AMs should reasonably be allowed to claim for and what, in future, they should not.

Let's take a punt - not an informed one, I stress but it's not hard to work out which allowances might have caught Sir Roger's beady eye.

I'm prepared to bet my own mortgage that the rules surrounding the second home allowance will be tightened until some AMs' eyes water. Fewer who live within commutable distance of Cardiff Bay will be allowed to claim (following in the example of those - like WAG Ministers Andrew Davies AM and Edwina Hart AM - who could claim but don't).

Will they be allowed to buy at all? Or will they have to spend their allowance on renting properties? No more buying flats whose value can shoot up. No need to tell that to those who bought after the 2007 election, who'll have seen the value of their flats plummet. Can't you just see some transitional arrangements coming into place, allowing those who've already bought to keep their properties but preventing those who move to the bright lights of Cardiff Bay after future elections from following in their footsteps?

What about salaries - should they be linked to MPs' salaries and then there's pensions? Payments to those who lose their seats or who choose to stand down. Researching today's story alongside my eagle-eyed colleagues, I certainly spotted examples of AMs who'd stood down voluntarily - in other words they knew exactly when they'd be going - but who'd continued to claim top whack in office rent for three months after their departure - as per the current rules.

Will Sir Roger mind that Will he say he doesn't mind if the political party happens also to be the landlord but insist that rules around fair rent, proper agreements are tightened? What about regional members? Should they share offices? We know he's been considering whether their role, their job is different to that of constituency AMs. How might that effect the way they can claim their allowances in future?

Toll on Monday. (That should have read Roll obviously ... though come to think of it - tariffs/bells tolling .. quite an apt typo!) In the meantime I'm off to meet an estate agent who might persuade me to start renting a rather nice, empty and large office on a High Street ... somewhere.

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