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Stephen rents out tax perk home

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Published Date: 09 March 2008
By Nicholas Christian
SCOTTISH Liberal Democrat leader Nicol Stephen is renting out a £400,000 Edinburgh house that he bought for his own home with help from the taxpayer, it was reported last night.
Stephen and his wife Caris Doig bought the property in 2002 for £193,333 and received £10,000 a year from the public purse to pay mortgage interest and council tax under the controversial Edinburgh Allowances Scheme (EAS).

Under the scheme, MSPs from outside the Central Belt can get taxpayers' cash to help them find a place to stay in Edinburgh.

But the MSP for Aberdeen South has now taken in lodgers for the two-bedroomed house in the Morningside area of Edinburgh.

Stephen moved to a larger property to allow his wife and children to live in Edinburgh. The Lib Dems have insisted that he is not now claiming public cash for any property in the city.

The EAS has been a source of controversy as MSPs bought properties at the start of the property boom using public cash, and then sold them.

A spokesman for Nicol Stephen said:"Nicol Stephen's children are staying in Edinburgh for this year. This has required him to make alternative Edinburgh accommodation arrangements for this period, at his own expense."





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1

OscarMacApfel,

Dumfries 09/03/2008 00:23:00
Now this positively reeks of sleaze.
2

Seannair,

09/03/2008 00:56:22
This scarcely has the odour of sanctity about it.
3

iain morrison,

nairn 09/03/2008 01:03:45
Nicol no wonder you smell sleaze - your standing in it.
4

KampungHighlander,

Jakarta 09/03/2008 06:42:50
After being in partnership with the Labour Party for 8 years it seems that some of Labours bad habits have rubbed off on Stevie Nicks. I guess when you partner up with Wendy's mob sleazy nest feathering at the publics expense seems like acceptable behaviour.
5

donald,

glasgow 09/03/2008 08:37:55
Sleaze Eating Surrender Numpty
6

connaughtboy,

stonehaven 09/03/2008 09:14:06
How about a Trump-style inquiry into Nicol Stephen?
7

GMCD,

dundy 09/03/2008 09:26:23
The definition of sleaze surely involves some kind of illegality and some influence bought? This is not sleaze because any MSP could do it under the current rules. The rules need to be sorted out - however this whole thing does cast the Robodon is a good light....maybe he has been watching what wee Lec gets away with....
8

OscarMacApfel,

Dumfries 09/03/2008 09:43:01
#7

How many homes does 'wee Lec' rent out that have been paid for via the public purse?
9

Klaus Dubois,

Edinburgh 09/03/2008 10:06:54
It's not really working out for this Scottish parliament. Trying very hard 'to look hard' ( as per wee man syndrome). I'm grateful that they've only been given limited powers, otherwise this country would continue to haemorrage it's best & brightest at an even greater rate. At least Gordon Brown tries to slip in his extra taxation with a degree of subtlety.
I do believe the Holyrood hacienda would make an exellent theatre/cinema/conference facility though.
10

connaughtboy,

stonehaven 09/03/2008 10:36:43
sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleazesleazesleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze sleaze
11

connaughtboy,

stonehaven 09/03/2008 10:37:18
#9 Are you on the wrong thread?
12

Nikostratos,

09/03/2008 10:50:22
#10

can you repeat that didn't quiet catch it
13

Andrew Buchan,

Kincardineshire 09/03/2008 11:15:53
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

Everything seems to be going wrong for poor Nicol.
14

connaughtboy,

stonehaven 09/03/2008 11:21:51
#12 don't tempt me........
15

Linda,

Edinburgh 09/03/2008 11:22:27
Klaus Barbie #9

Holyrood is ten times more transparent and has much less sleaze than the Westminster gravy train.
16

Klaus Dubois,

Edinburgh 09/03/2008 11:36:46
Linda Lovelace #15 &, err.. & other peurile stuff.

Westminster is far from perfect but they have a few centuries of experience at least. Spend a bit of time abroad & you'll see why British democracy is envied all over the world. We've ended up with another layer of 'council'. Many commentators have described how Donald Dewar knew it was mickey mouse appeasement to allow this drain on the public purse.
17

 Ayrshire Scot™,

09/03/2008 11:57:59
9. Surely you mean houses bought from the public purse, under false claims for mortgage expenses... was Nicol Stephen not found guilty by the Standards Committee of making dodgy claims for mortgage payments.... now he is renting the house? Mmmm, he must have a cold...smellls of something
18

Alberto.,

09/03/2008 12:22:41
Is it an old Scottish Custom - I sincerely hope not!

First we read about Mr. Martin, Speaker in the Westminster Government - apparently an 'Honourable' member, so it is said, who has not only claimed expenses payments for a non-existent mortgage - and more surprisingly- been paid out, and they say, presumably in some kind of Political twisted mind kind of way
(the language of the Protectionists!) it is 'legally' within the rules, but not necessarily in the 'spirit' of them - but he still got paid!

I wonder how many years that has applied and been 'officially' authorized - and how many more members have been paid for expenses - of any description, which never existed?

And now Nicol Stephen MSP seems to be on a similar 'bandwagon!'

Got a great big helping from his 'colleagues' (via the taxpayers politicians 'piggy bank fund') no doubt all legally 'according to the rules' but the question of principle, moral and spirit of the situation nicely bypassed / overlooked / not entered into the matter, seemingly by all involved, presumably because of the over-riding financial greed that drives on such occasions!

No doubt all his Political colleagues (including their specially formed 'face-saving committee') will be unable to see any wrongdoing in such activity simply because, perhaps, it’s ‘the way the game is played!’
19

The Former Mr. Angry,

Perth 09/03/2008 13:34:08
No doubt there has been no intentional wrongdoing here but I'll bet there is a sense of incandescent rage from most taxpayers who read this story.

Why not set up an MSPs' barracks somewhere close and no further subsidy of MSP capital gains at taxpayer expense? They are there to work after all, not to pick up luxury apartments and telephone number profits, plus in the meantime rent for the place as well! If the property was purchased for the purpose stated then public funds are or have clearly been misappropriated in any conventional terms.

Anyone reading this whose employer (if your're employed) would give this the time of day? Thought not.

20

Nikostratos,

09/03/2008 13:49:35
"First Minister Alex Salmond will hold talks with Lib Dem leader Nicol Stephen tomorrow over the plans, as they seek to find a deal to get the tax through Parliament."

Still Alex will sit down with him to do any deal he can over local income tax...........I don't think you'll hear any criticism of nichol from the snp msps over this 'Scandal'............Oink..Oink..Oink in the trough together.................
21

Christina, Aberdeen,

10/03/2008 13:05:25
This is just the tip of the iceberg. As anybody from Aberdeen knows, Stephen has been involved in many more scandals. There is enough material for a whole month of Sundays.
22

Beachcomber,

Capital 11/03/2008 22:18:54
#22 Do tell.
23

jenny,

east edinburgh 14/09/2008 10:42:16
Give the guy a break - he is trying to keep his family under one roof AND be an MSP and if the house he bought is unsuitable for family use since the family have now joined him in Ed. it makes sense for it to be rented out rather than sitting empty. Meanwhile, as he say, he has found somewhere more suitable for the whole family. That's not sleaze in my book - that's common sense.
24

daveserviceman,

edinburgh 26/04/2009 02:24:00
if the MEP's are in need of housing accommodation there is plenty of room in the dungeons of Edinburgh castle. or the vaults

 

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