HAVING read the figures made available by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority [IPSA] I was shocked to learn of the amount of money MPs claim. Our MP, Nick Smith, was among the highest, claiming “£16,609 for office costs, for staffing £4,024 and for accommodation costs and for travel and sustenance £5,385”.

I should like to ask, with the leisure centre In Nantyglo due to close, and public toilets, and care workers being stopped and various cuts, how can Mr Smith justify claiming such a large amount, knowing his constituency is one of the poorest in Britain, knowing of the cuts, and nearly half on benefits, and a large percentage having to rely on food banks? I think it’s appalling. I would very much like a reply, but I doubt it.

M Rose, Hilltop, Ebbw Vale