The MP, her expenses and the party office in Darwen

Darwen and Rossendale’s Janet Anderson spent 16 years claiming costs for a Labour-owned ‘office’ that was not open to the public or staffed, the Lancashire Telegraph has discovered.

Mrs Anderson said the ‘informal’ payments were justified because she had held ‘very occasional surgeries’ at the office in Bolton Road, Darwen, since being elected in 1992.

But critics called for an 'immediate investigation' into the 'suspiciously cosy' arrangement which they say has helped to cover Darwen Labour Party costs.

Parliamentary rules on MPs’ expenses say only 'actual, not nominal' office costs can be refunded.

Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “The taxpaying public are overwhelmingly opposed to taxpayer funding of political parties, so there’s no way it should be allowed to happen on the sly.

"Office allowances should only be used for actual offices – not renting empty rooms that are never used.

"This does seem to be a suspiciously cosy arrangement with Ms Anderson’s local Labour Party and she should be investigated immediately to find out whether she has been using her expenses to subsidise her party’s work."

Mrs Anderson, whose main office is in Waterfoot and who also has a constituency home in Darwen, confirmed the office was unmanned from 1992 until December 2008 when it opened three days a week on her behalf by Darwen town councillor Dave Smith.

More than £20,000 of her expenses since 1992 have been paid for the office towards its running cost and phone bill, while it was not open to the public.

Mrs Anderson said: “There is no rental involved.

“I make a contribution to the running costs, and I always have done, even before Dave was there.

“It used to have a sign in the window saying it was the constituency office of Janet Anderson MP.

"It’s always had a sign in the window with my contact details.

“There were very occasional surgeries. My contribution was to pay the running costs and the phone.

“I paid £1,800, and also the phone bill. Since Dave has been there it has gone up. That is the arrangement. It was less than that when we started in 1992, it was about £1,200.

“It covers business rates, utilities and insurance. They told me how much they needed as a contribution to the costs. It’s not rent, it’s the running costs.

“It was just a base. If people wanted to push letters through the door, they could. The phone would automatically be diverted to the House of Commons at local rates, and people would have a Darwen number to call.”

Asked if the Labour Party gained from the arrangement, Mrs Anderson said: “It’s been a two-way process.

"I on the one hand have had an office in Darwen, and in return I have made a contribution towards the running costs.

"Since it gives me a base in Darwen I would say it’s justified.

“It’s always been an informal arrangement. But everything is going to have to be more formal after the election, and I guess we will have to formalise it.

“The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority will decide how they want all this to be done in the future.”

The money would have been paid directly to the Labour Party by the fees office which manages MPs’ office cost claims.

In 2008/09, Mrs Anderson’s total office running costs - which includes the upkeep of her main Rossendale office and other costs including some travel - were £25,462.54, and, according to the most recent figures available, she claimed £6,785 in the first quarter of 2009/10.

The building is owned by Darwen Labour Party under a trust set up by the town’s former Labour MP Dale Campbell-Savours, who now sits in the House of Lords.

Coun Smith claimed the office was a 'millstone' around the local party’s neck due to its running costs.

He said: “We’d like to get rid of it, but it’s in this trust so we have to pay for all the bills.

It was also used for occassional party meetings.

“I don’t do any political work here: it’s all for Janet," he said. She used to have meetings here and all sorts, but I don’t know how often.”

Deputy council leader Tony Melia, the leader of the For Darwen Party, used to own a shop four doors away from the Bolton Road office.

He said: “There used to be an answer phone, but you don’t need an office for that.

“As long as I have known it has been a Labour Party office, and the Labour Party used to have meetings there.

“In a nutshell, what she is doing is financing the Labour Party via her expenses.”

Darwen Mayor Paul Browne said the matter needed investigating: “Until Dave Smith came in, it was the Labour Party office."

Tory parliamentary candidate Jake Berry added: “It’s an awful lot of money to pay for a sign in the window.”

A Parliament spokesman would not comment on individual cases.

Incidental expenses guidelines

Under the Incidental Expenses Provision, MPs are allowed to claim for accommodation for office or surgery use, office equipment and supplies, and some staffing, travel and communications costs.

The Green Book rules on Parliamentary allowances do not define an 'office' or specify whether it should be manned or open to the public.

But each of the guides published between 2003 and April 2009 say MPs must 'have documented contractual arrangements which distinguish between accommodation and services'.

They go on to say: “Charges must be for actual, not nominal, services, and the service charges must accurately reflect the levels of service provided. You must lodge a copy of the agreement with the department and ensure that any subsequent changes are notified in writing immediately to the department.”