Sir – I have no objection to county councillors being offered reimbursement for hotel rooms due to impending heavy snow. (Report, February 12). After all, the following day’s vote was an important one.

Also I do not object to the amount offered (up to £132.03) as I expect that local accommodation would have been in keen demand on that particular night.

I can see no reason why councillors should have to say whether or not they took up the offer. As long as they got to the meeting on time, that is surely their business. All this is subject to one important proviso, which is that the payment be made only on proof of expenditure (a named receipt from the hotel concerned, and a debit or credit card slip in the councillor’s name).

Currently there is a great deal of justified anger over the matter of expense claims in public life. But most of this seems rightly to centre specifically on claims which do not require any proof of expenditure. This allows the claimant to use the claim as a tax free top-up of income or salary.

May we have the assurance of the county council that it never allows any expense claim without clear personal proof of expenditure?

Tristram Torrance, Witney