http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Evening News strikes again en Mon, 18 May 2026 03:00:55 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1962#post-20641 Tue, 04 Jan 2011 19:51:03 +0000 LaidBack 20641@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The 'scandal' is that he was the only one to claim a cycle allowance - and that was for ONE journey.</p> <p>That means that he is maybe one of the few who actually knows what cycling is like in the city - how bike lanes work or don't work etc.</p> <p><strong>If 15% of journeys are to be made by bike we'll need a lot more than one councillor to cycle one day a year!<br /> </strong> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1962#post-20634 Tue, 04 Jan 2011 15:54:11 +0000 ruggtomcat 20634@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The evening news knows what its doing, how much money do you think they have made from all the advertising hits the commenters make? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1962#post-20605 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 19:13:45 +0000 Kirst 20605@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>They don't even seem to know what their story is about. The fact he cycles? The fact he's claiming mileage for journeys to and from work? The fact the council pays bike mileage at all? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1962#post-20599 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 18:33:18 +0000 Min 20599@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Still, it is pretty extreme, even for the EEN. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1962#post-20598 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 18:28:40 +0000 kaputnik 20598@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>It's somewhat amusing that the act of a solitary councillor, cycling once, is so extreme that it takes the whole front page of the local chipwrapper </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1962#post-20596 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 17:45:18 +0000 Kirst 20596@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>The interesting thing about this story is that Inland Revenue allows cyclists to claim 20 pence per mile only between work engagements (i.e. between the office and work related visits), not from home to work. So unless he has an office at his home, according to Inland Revenue he should not be able to claim. However it would not surprise me if Edinburgh council had a completely different set of rules.<br /> </em><br /> That's not quite correct. You're correct about mileage being claimable for work engagements, not for travel between home and work. But the 20p per mile is the maximum that can be claimed tax-free. Employers are allowed to pay more than 20p per mile but anything paid above that will be taxed. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1962#post-20595 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 17:43:53 +0000 Min 20595@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Fact is he cycled once and the rest of the time he is claiming twice the amount to drive the exact same journey and the EEN has no problem with this. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1962#post-20593 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 17:38:41 +0000 Kim 20593@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Do you think we can get the rest of them out of their car and on to bikes, so cutting the cost of mileage claims? That would really be a good story... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1962#post-20592 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 17:33:33 +0000 Arellcat 20592@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Nothing in the (non)article says he has a bus pass (as in LB 'season ticket'), although he'd be eligible for one simply by being over 60. But if he's discharging his responsibilities as a councillor, he is entitled to reimbursement of expenses, so he could be choosing to use his time more efficiently by cycling instead of driving, to say nothing of the health benefits of which he is well aware.</p> <p>Should local authorities mandate that all over-60 councillors travel by bus, just because they all could?</p> <p>I'm a bit mystified, like tracyg, why he can claim cycle mileage for commuting. If he was commuting to a destination further than his usual, then excess fare allowance might be appropriate; but if he normally worked from home then 12 miles at 20ppm would indeed be legitimate. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1962#post-20590 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 16:54:02 +0000 kaputnik 20590@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Interesting that 14 of them claimed exactly £540. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1962#post-20589 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 16:20:38 +0000 tracyg 20589@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The interesting thing about this story is that Inland Revenue allows cyclists to claim 20 pence per mile only between work engagements (i.e. between the office and work related visits), not from home to work. So unless he has an office at his home, according to Inland Revenue he should not be able to claim. However it would not surprise me if Edinburgh council had a completely different set of rules.</p> <p>Cyclists are allowed to claim legitimate work mileage on their bikes now due to the Kyoto agreement and trying to cut down on greenhouse gases.</p> <p>So the story is both wrong and right, depending on whether he goes by Inland Revenue's rules and/or considers his home a place of work... Otherwise everyone could claim tax for their commute to work!</p> <p>Interested to hear your comments on this one... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1962#post-20588 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 15:33:46 +0000 ruggtomcat 20588@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>"Had he claimed the rate every working day for a year, then his journeys would cost the taxpayer almost £550"</em></p> <p>£550? for a whole <em>year</em> of travel? Cheap as chips surely? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1962#post-20587 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 15:21:24 +0000 kaputnik 20587@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>So, the article leads with the statement</p> <p>"<em>Although the 73-year-old was not breaking council rules by claiming back mileage</em>"</p> <p>But then tries (and fails) to weave some sort of a scandal story around this because he did something as shocking as use a bike to get to work, thus saving the taxpayer the further £2.40 it would have cost if he had claimed to use his car.</p> <p>So clearly the EEN's problem is not with councillors claiming on expenses for journeys, it is claiming for using <strong>a bike</strong> and for that he deserved plastering over the front page of their rag as if he had been hanging around outside primary schools in a long coat and dark glasses.</p> <p>It's refreshing for once to see that the vast majority of comments are supporting the Councillor. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1962#post-20585 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 14:53:00 +0000 chdot 20585@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chdot/5320166624"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5006/5320166624_906f2e4d8b.jpg"><br /> </a><br /> <a href="http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Paisley-claims-240-for-12mile.6677992.jp" rel="nofollow">http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Paisley-claims-240-for-12mile.6677992.jp</a> </p>