A REDBRIDGE MP who was caught up in the Parliamentary expenses scandal has won his appeal against demands for repayment.

Ilford South MP Mike Gapes appealed against the findings of the Legg Review which called on him to return £186.89 he claimed for council tax payments on a rented flat from November 2003 to March 2004.

Mr Gapes announced the news in a statement on his website, during which he criticised Sir Thomas Legg, who lead the review, for failing to use 'common sense' when dealing with his case.

He said: "I have just received a letter from Sir Paul Kennedy in which he allows my appeal against what I regarded as an unjust, unfair and arbitrary demand by Sir Thomas Legg for £186.89 from me in respect of approved payments for Council Tax for a rented flat for the period November 2003 to March 2004 which I had claimed in April 2004 (in the following financial year).

"I am delighted at this outcome which clears my name and reputation. But I regret that Sir Thomas Legg did not use common sense and failed to accept the facts of my case and that I had to go through with an appeal to Sir Paul Kennedy in order to get justice and clear my name.

"The disputed sum is in my case very small but there is a principle at stake here as regretably many MPs like myself have been caught up in the generalised attack on our reputations being orchestrated by some in the media as a result of an inadequate flawed system and the bad behaviour of a minority."

Mr Gapes quotes Sir Paul Kennedy as saying: "I have no difficulty in concluding that there are special reasons in your individual case showing that it would not be fair and equitable to require repayment other than to the extent of your admitted overclaim of 40 pence, which you say was due to a clerical error on your part. I would therefore allow your appeal."