MP in probe over council tax fiddle

A NEW MP who waited years to beat a long-standing Tory politician ousted after the expenses scandal faces fresh accusations she indulged in a secret affair as well as allegedly fiddled her council tax.

It was supposed to be Liberal Democrat MP Tessa Munt’s time to shine after taking Conservative MP David Heathcoat-Amory’s Wells constituency seat.

But the newly installed MP’s first few months in the role have been far from plain sailing.

Mrs Munt is under investigation by Sedgemoor District Council after she claimed a single resident’s discount, worth 25 per cent, at a time when Dr John Laband and BBC DJ Andy Kershaw both registered as living at her Mark home. When the row first emerged last month, Mrs Munt denied any impropriety regarding the council tax discount and claimed “neither of these two people were living with me”.

She said Mr Kershaw merely visited her home in 2008 and left his dog with her for eight weeks.

Mrs Munt said she had rescued Dr Laband from sleeping on his garage floor while his wife filed for divorce after 20 years of marriage and four children, and merely offered him a place to stay briefly.

But the

The source allegedly said: “She told us Mrs Munt had been having an affair with her husband at the time. She said it was ‘the beginning and end’ of why the marriage had failed, and that Mrs Munt had charged him £200 a month to rent a room in her house.

“So as well as wrongly claiming a single person’s discount on council tax, she said Mrs Munt was actually receiving income from the man who was her lover and lodger.”

Dr Laband, a local Lib Dem councillor, left Mrs Munt’s house after 10 months and moved to a boat moored at a marina near Bristol.

Mrs Munt is on holiday so a Liberal Democrat Party spokesman released a statement. It said: “Tessa has already made clear that Dr Laband did stay with her for a period of time in 2008. She offered him a place to stay as he needed temporary accommodation during his divorce. It is of public record he was registered at her address at this time, and Tessa telephoned the council to notify them of this arrangement.

“During his stay Dr Laband did pay a contribution to Tessa for food and housekeeping.

“Tessa has co-operated fully with the council and will happily continue to co-operate to aid any attempt to clear this matter. Tessa understands that Sedgemoor council contacted police, who have said there is no case to answer.”

Dr Laband has been advised by Lib Dem lawyers not to comment on the case. Mrs Laband declined to comment. Former Wells MP David Heathcoat-Amory said she should stand down if the allegations proved accurate.