A council seat will buy you child care, says MP

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/10/13/nfeath13.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/10/13/ixportal.html

A millionaire female MP was criticised yesterday for suggesting that more women could become councillors by using their generous allowances to pay for cleaners or child care. Lynne Featherstone, whose family once owned part of the Ryness chain of electrical stores, said getting elected as a councillor was "great, not just for its political benefit but because the money allows you to employ a cleaner, pay for more babysitting hours, etc.

"You can't buy more hours in the day but you can pay for others to do things that free your time."

Miss Featherstone, 53, a single parent, is the Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green and a councillor in Haringey, north London, where she is entitled to claim £8,500 in allowances for her duties.

Richard Milner, a Labour councillor and Haringey's chief finance spokesman, said her comments showed she was "out of touch" with voters. "To say it is OK to use council taxpayers' money to fund politicians' cleaners is staggering," he said.