MPs get £10000 to work from home petition against

[blossompie]

Can anyone link me to the petition against MPs getting £10k to work from home if it's still ongoing? Thanks

all available on the IPSA website @blossompie and clears up your concerns about family members - knock yourself out

Thanks @myrtleWilson I shall

Ilovemydog
MPs have an allowance for office expenses. This is basicly IPSA allowing MPs offices to go over the usual budget.
So long as its needed and they can show receipts obviously.

I don't know why its so high: it is a bit out of character for IPSA. They are usually quite strict and picky.

I think they wanted everyone out of the parliamentary estate and working from home as quickly as possible and therefore set a generous limit so that there wouldn't be a back and forth with office managers about it, people putting in contingency applications for going over etc.

Covid19 had already made an appearance on the parliamentary estate and they closed their own office pretty soon after.

It's not their normal level of oversight but I guess, like a lot of other organisations, they've made their own assessment about how much of their work is "essential" right now and are planning to pick up the pieces when all this is over.
I expect they'll be pouring over the receipts once they reopen.

Tim Is my MP and the posting by a local lefty who administers our local page, which has 27,000 follows, presenting false information and telling people to bombard Tom with complaints was politically motivated skullduggery that he should be prosecuted for. The left in this country regularly behaves in an utterly shameful manner and its time they were held to account. Tim is an exemplary very hardworking MP with a significant majority and shouldn't have had to spend 1 second defending himself against grossly inaccurate lies.

People really think it would be acceptable for MP’s to use home computers to access Westminster documents and send emails ? They have no idea of the security risk that would create - all civil servants use specific laptops / surface pros for work work and quite rightly so !

If this had been called an office budget, rather than an allowance I suspect people would struggle to be quite so pissed off! They may have 4-5 staff and they each need a laptop, printer, stationery, mobile, paying for international calls. Yes, that should be achievable for less than £10k, but that's why it's a ceiling, not an allowance...

Lets not add another distraction to the present problem.

This is an issue that can be raised once Covid 19 is sorted.

the posting by a local lefty who administers our local page, which has 27,000 follows, presenting false information and telling people to bombard Tom with complaints was politically motivated skullduggery that he should be prosecuted for.

I agree the post is wrong, but prosecuting people for political disagreement is a ridiculous idea.

donquixotedelamancha I’d say there’s a massive difference between “political disagreement” and “politically-motivated witch-hunt”...

Disagreeing about politics is one thing using a position of relative power to spread hatred and lies is another thing altogether. Furthermore causing harm to others is not 'voicing an opinion'

I’d say there’s a massive difference between “political disagreement” and “politically-motivated witch-hunt”

I agree. Still, in this country we do not use the police to enforce what criticisms your political opponents can and can't make.

Furthermore causing harm to others is not 'voicing an opinion'

Sticks and stones may break your bones but names will never hurt you.

Disagreeing about politics is one thing using a position of relative power to spread hatred and lies is another thing altogether.

Running a facebook page is hardly a position of power. We have misconduct in a public office for that (and BJ did not even meet those criteria, despite having been found to have lied) but the UK rightly sets a very high burden on prosecuting private individuals for their speech.
There may be some areas where that is slipping, but thankfully we are nowhere near this yet.

Men and women of this country have died in their millions to stop what you propose from coming to pass. There are lots of other countries where this system of government is available if you prefer. I'd like us to keep the current one.

@Dogsaresomucheasier you absolutely shouldn't be using your own money on work expenses, but the way to tackle that isn't to insist other workers should be using their own money.

donquixotedelamancha In general, I don’t agree that people can whip up a frenzy online, encourage harassment, and hide behind “free speech”.

I don’t know enough about these particular individuals So probably doesn’t apply in this case; but given MPs have been killed on the basis of social media frenzies; you can’t always dismiss social media posts as “words will never hurt you”.

given MPs have been killed on the basis of social media frenzies; you can’t always dismiss social media posts as “words will never hurt you”.

An MP was killed by a nutter who believed far right drivel. We did not prosecute farage or Johnson for that murder despite their untruths being at least as egregious as this one and contributing substantially to the divisions which fueled that murder because their words didn't kill anyone.

PP wants to lock this person up for ill informed hyperbole about MP's expenses to punish 'the left' for perceived wrongs.

We all 'hide behind' free speech. It defends us ordinary folk from abuse of power. If we get rid of it, even for seemingly good cause, we will regret it.

I think we’ll have to agree to disagree on that point.

I think we’ll have to agree to disagree on that point.

Fortunately we live somewhere that is allowed.

£10k is a hefty allowance

It isn't an allowance, it is a maximum budget.

I’m a teacher in a state school ( Government not private)
I’m expected to use my internet from home with no additional payment. I’m expected to use my own equipment with no additional payment ...
I’m expected to make phone calls on my own personal phone .
I get nothing extra !!!
I have asked, there is no fund for me to apply to .
Even when I am working at school I’m expected to provide resources for teaching the children...
And MP’s have a fund they can apply to !
MMM

I work for a government department. I was already home based so already had a laptop and phone. However now I am working from home my employer is going to provide a suitable chair, and has paid for wrist supports, I also have a mouse and headphones. Some colleagues are getting desks. The chair and desk are important as otherwise it could lead to long term skeletal issues, which would mean my employer had to pay more sick pay etc. I could do with a larger screen for some work I will be doing, I'm not sure if I will get this.
Yes it is disgraceful that schools are so underfunded that teachers do not get what in most jobs would be seen as basic equipment.
I am also shocked that MPs are probably going to be using Zoom, which across Government is not considered to be secure enough for us to use (even as a back up).
But £10,000 is nothing to enable working from home, especially when it is spread between 5 or more individuals. And even if they are family members, if they are doing the work then they do need a laptop and phone. And if you think your MP is giving their family psuedo jobs without those family members doing any work for it - then you should be complaining to the local press and getting them voted out at the next election (or earlier).

I work for a government department. I was already home based so already had a laptop and phone. However now I am working from home my employer is going to provide a suitable chair, and has paid for wrist supports, I also have a mouse and headphones. Some colleagues are getting desks. The chair and desk are important as otherwise it could lead to long term skeletal issues, which would mean my employer had to pay more sick pay etc.

I work in a non-clinical role for the NHS. I brought home my work laptop, mouse and one monitor the day before we started to work from home. A colleague delivered my work chair to me a few days later. I have bought myself a keyboard, wrist rests and a gel seat cushion as my chair is old and the padding is pretty worn out and I am in pain sitting on it after only a couple of hours. My laptop stand and footrest consist of piles of books. Most of my colleagues have set up makeshift home office spaces like I have, and none are completely suitable. I wouldn't be at all surprised if some end up with skeletal issues at the end of this.

And I have just checked my mobile account and have been charged £2.77 for making 2 phone calls totalling 3 and a half minutes to one of our main suppliers (0845 number). Let's hope I don't have to phone them very often or for very long.