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If you want to know what expenses your local councillors claimed for the last 12 months it should be easily found on your local council's website. I think you might be surprised at how little most councillors claim in the way of expenses - I knew I was.

I agree with Joanna I wouldn't want to be an MP, Councillor or Government Minister for all the tea in China either - their job is thankless. I think that most people become a politician because they have strong beliefs and they want to make a difference.

I also think MPs and councillors are paid fairly decent salaries because we want to attract the best people from across all parts of life to represent us. If we didn't pay our MPs and Councillors properly then we would be left with only the people who could afford to support themselves from their own private incomes to represent us - and that would not be fair or representative to all the people of this country.

I also think it is only fair for MPs representing a constituencies outside London to receive an allowance for a second home. An MP representing say, Durham or Southampton could hardly commute to and from London every day to do their job in Parliament. I think most MPS make a lot of personal sacrifices when they become an MP and try to do a fair and decent job for the people who elected them. I doubt very much that the majority of councillors and MPs take on the job for the money. Most of them would be able to earn far higher salaries in the 'real world' and are propably making financial sacrifies as well as personal/family sacrifies by being an MP. If the allowance system for second homes is open to abuse then it needs to be tightened up.