HAVING read the recent excellent article by Paul Ferguson on Bill Wiggin’s over-claimed parliamentary expenses (Hereford Times, October 21), I suspect that I was not the only reader who, when coming across Mr Wiggin’s letter in Readers’ Times felt that the timing of the two items was related.

A cynic might think the letter was a crude attempt to deflect attention from the expenses issue and to get the public to think that the MP was really beavering away on our behalf while being assailed with trivial allegations.

Yes, zero carbon housing is an important issue, but it is noteworthy that Mr Wiggin’s apparent ability to grasp government policy on this subject did not extend to his expense claims.

Like many of his colleagues, Mr Wiggin just does not seem to get it.

The most damning part of your article said: “The committee stated that Mr Wiggin provided very little evidence to back his “extremely high” claims and chose not to check financial records when asked.”

The arrogance shown in the latter respect is breathtaking. Anyone can obtain invoices for such items as telephone services very readily from the supplier and the MP’s explanations only serve to muddy the waters.

Other MPs have been deselected for similar breaches to those committed by Mr Wiggin, who states: “I’m happy to apologise.”I am sure that many of your readers would have preferred a letter from Mr Wiggin containing a fulsome apology and explaining why he “chose not to check financial records” rather than one on the subject of low-carbon homes.

It would, however, be interesting to hear from the MP as to whether his Herefordshire property, which he claimed on 23 separate occasions was his second home is a low-carbon property.

COLIN BOYLETT,

Kingswood, Kington.