It was my sad duty to say goodbye to a much loved figure in Tilehurst and West Berkshire this week. On Monday I attended the funeral of Brian Dowding, the former Westwood councillor. Brian was elected to the old Newbury District Council in 1973 as an Independent, later joining the Liberal Democrats and becoming their group leader for a while. He was an active member of Tilehurst Parish Council and was personally responsible for the creation of the Calcot recreation ground which would be blighted forever if the dreadful Blue Living proposals were approved at Pincents Hill by West Berkshire Council. Brian was a man of great humour, integrity and energy who put far more back into life than he ever took out. He was someone who went into politics for all the right reasons and who will be sorely missed.

Despite the furore over the expense and allowance claims of around 10 percent of MPs of all parties in the House of Commons, I’m still of the opinion that the majority of my colleagues went into politics with good intentions. However, it is clear that Parliament has not only lost its way but has lost the trust of the people. Simply forcing the early resignation of the Speaker will not by itself assuage the justifiable public anger that there is over a failing system exploited by some unscrupulous individuals.

So here’s my seven point plan for cleaning up the House of Commons:

• Sack all Ministers and Shadow Ministers who have been systematically enriching themselves at the taxpayer’s expense by playing the system and breaking the spirit of the rules if not the letter.
• End “moonlighting” by MPs. No second jobs or company directorships. A fulltime commitment for a fulltime salary.
• Remove the ability for MPs to profit personally from the any future second home allowance.
• Essential London accommodation allowances only and claims to be capped. Nothing claimable for third or fourth homes.
• Deselection of all MPs who have blatantly broken the rules or who have failed to put their affairs in order.
• Parliament to lose the right to set the level of MPs’ salaries and allowances in favour of a genuinely independent body.
• The publication of all claims and receipts every three months on the Parliamentary website.

These are not all original ideas and I tried myself to end the scandal of moonlighting MPs through my Private Member’s Bill in 2007. However, I do think these proposals would go some way to restoring trust and faith in our most important democratic institution. Please let me know what you think.