Bill Wiggin

Within his constituency, Wiggin successfully campaigned for improved broadband to rural areas, and helped to secure funding for a new swimming pool.[5]

Wiggin has also campaigned for improved flood defences in Herefordshire, and frequently raises the issue in the House of Commons.[16]

In 2007, he took Environment Secretary Hilary Benn on a tour including some of the areas affected by the summer 2007 floods, and in 2009 he took representatives from the Environment Agency on a series of visits to some of the villages and towns worst affected.

In 2014, Wiggin met with Dafydd Evans, Environment Agency Area Manager for the West Midlands, to press for action to enhance local flood defences.[17]

One of Wiggin's longest-standing campaigns has been the improvement of rail services in North Herefordshire. He has helped to secure disabled access at Leominster Station and in 2012 he held a consultation on the new Rail Franchise at Ledbury Station. He regularly petitions the Government for improved services in North Herefordshire and in 2014 he contributed to the Great Western Franchise consultation with his constituents' views.[18]

Wiggin has also campaigned for better recording of agricultural accidents, namely those involving cattle. In April 2014, he presented a 10 Minute Rule Bill in Parliament to require the Health and Safety Executive to record certain details of such accidents and to report these details annually.

Following Wiggin's meeting with Rick Brunt, Head of Agriculture at the HSE, Minister Mike Penning MP announced that the HSE would start to collect and publish the data.[19] This included TB testing, presence of a dog, breed of cattle and the proper circumstances and ages of cattle, details of those injured; whether a right of way was involved, whether the person was trespassing, and any other relevant and useful information.

Wiggin renewed his call for more beds at Hereford County Hospital following a visit in September 2014, during which he toured one of the Canadian hutted units.[20]

In December 2014, Wiggin questioned the Prime Minister during PMQs about Hereford County Hospital and sought his support for increasing the Hospital's capacity.[21] Following Wiggin's PMQ, the Prime Minister informed Wiggin he would send a Minister to look at the Hospital and in February 2015 Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt paid a visit.[22]

In June 2015, Wiggin welcomed the contract awarded to Kier Group to deliver a programme of reconfiguration at Hereford County Hospital for the Wye Valley NHS Trust. The planned work includes increasing capacity at the hospital and replacing the 75-year-old 'Canadian Huts' currently used as inpatient wards and relocating both the endoscopy and day surgery facilities.[23]

During the parliamentary expenses scandal the Daily Telegraph reported that Wiggin had wrongly claimed more than £11,000 mortgage payments on his Herefordshire property.[24] This property had no mortgage and Wiggin who had made 23 declarations that it was his main home said the expenses were claimed in error.[24] The Committee found that Wiggin's mortgage claims were the result of "an unfortunate and unintended muddle" which should have been picked up much more quickly, though no cost to the public purse resulted because Wiggin was entitled to claim for the mortgage payments on his London home. The committee expressed disappointment that Wiggin had not been cooperative with the enquiry as required by the Code of Conduct.[25]

His claims for household bills were also investigated following a complaint by Mr Miller.[26] Wiggin had routinely claimed £240 a month for household bills and whilst the Standards and Privileges Committee confirmed that he could claim up to £250 a month without a receipt, this was to cover costs actually incurred.[25]

Wiggin "chose not to" take up the Committee's invitation to check his expenses with his bank and service providers and, on balance of probability they found he overclaimed expenses for council tax, telephone and workmen's bills.[25]

In October 2010, Wiggin apologised to the House and was ordered to repay £4,009 utility expenses.[27]

Until 10 October 2017, Wiggin was a non-executive director of Philip T English International Financial Services Ltd in Banbury. The position came with remuneration of £5,000 a year with him spending approximately 60 hours a year on the job.[28]

Wiggin has accepted donations and donations in kind from a number of sources, including the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (two days' shooting and two nights' accommodation in 2011 and 2012 at Catton Hall, Derbyshire; total value £1,527) and one day of shooting with Cubitt Consulting in 2004.[28]

In 2008, Wiggin accepted an expenses-paid trip to Malaysia, by palm oil conglomerate Sime Darby.[28]