Conservatives defend use of £10,000 business grant

A Yorkshire Conservative Association has defended receiving a £10,000 grant from the Government in coronavirus support to cover the business rates of the office used by their local MP.
Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty.    Picture Tony Johnson.Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty.    Picture Tony Johnson.
Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty. Picture Tony Johnson.

Selby and Ainsty Conservatives applied for £10,000 in Government grant money to help pay for the business rates for an office used by Nigel Adams, according to a Freedom of Information request made by the Huffington Post.

The website reported that their FOI to Selby District Council had revealed the grant was for use at the association’s headquarters at 17 High Street, Tadcaster.

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But it led to criticism of Selby and Ainsty MP Mr Adams, who is also a Government minister and lists the office as his constituency base on his website, who said he was “unaware” of the payment.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) has warned MPs not to accept the grants aimed at helping businesses through the coronavirus pandemic as staff continued to be paid and were being reimbursed for any coronavirus-related expenses.

But Selby and Ainsty Conservatives chairman Andy Paraskos said the association was the tenant of the property, with Mr Adams only being granted usage, so he was not responsible for the business rates and therefore the IPSA guidance was “not relevant in this case”.

Mr Paraskos said: “This grant was correctly applied for and paid to the association, who are the tenants, main occupiers of the office premises, and responsible for any business rates payable.

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“Our MP has a license to use rooms in our premises when he and his staff require them.

“He is not responsible for the business rates and as such, does not use his IPSA allowance to claim such costs.”

Mr Adams told the Huffington Post he was “unaware” of the grant and added: “I do not know anything about it.”

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