PEERS are set to be able to charge taxpayers for hotel stays for the first time – on top of their £342 attendance allowance.
Members of the House of Lords not based in London have been given permission to expense up to £100 per night on hotels when they have to stay in the city on parliamentary business.
The change was recommended in a report by the House of Lords Commission and the Daily Mail reported the changes are set to sail through the upper house when put to a vote.
“We recommend that a new allowance should be introduced for overnight accommodation for members from outside Greater London,” the report said.
“Members attending the House from outside London face greater barriers to attendance. We consider it important that voices from across the country should be heard in the House of Lords and that the scheme for financial support for Members should enable this.”
They will come in on April 15 and only apply to peers whose registered address is outside of Greater London.
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Peers of all parties believe it is unfair those who do not live in London must pay for their hotel costs – despite being able to claim an attendance allowance of £342 for every day they spend in the Lords.
They are currently also able to claim mileage, train fares and plane tickets on expenses.
But the changes will draw fury from those already opposed to the unelected second chamber – which costs taxpayers more than £104 million per year – excluding the maintenance costs for the building.
The Tufton Street think tank Taxpayers’ Alliance hit out at the changes, telling the Mail that “taxpayers are fed up with the growing cost of legislators”. He added: “Parliament should do the right thing and scrap this change.”
A House of Lords spokesperson said: “It is important that all parts of the UK are represented in the House of Lords, and that members who live outside London are not prevented from participating in the business of the House due to rising accommodation costs.”
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