Blair's bills woe revealed

Reminders for the former Prime Minister to pay water and gas bills and warning bailiffs could be sent in was among around 450 documents released under freedom of information laws.

Mr Blair and his successor Gordon Brown were also revealed to have spent almost £15,000 of taxpayers' money between them on doing up their kitchens.

Commons authorities gave up a £100,000 legal bid to keep them secret on Monday, when the Members Estimate Committee, chaired by Speaker Michael Martin, decided not to appeal against a High Court ruling that they should be released.

Three boxes crammed full of papers contain documentation - including receipts and invoices - of claims under the Additional Cost Allowance, which covers the expense of running a second home while living away from their constituencies on parliamentary business.

The freedom of information campaigner who requested much of the information said the release showed the authorities had held back to "avoid embarrassment" not to protect their security. "The issue here is not so much the content as MPs' willingness to be open and engage directly with their constituents," Heather Brooke said.

"It is up to constituents to decide whether they believe spending thousands of pounds on new kitchens, house renovations, TV licences and garden maintenance is an acceptable use of public money. What is utterly unacceptable is the secrecy of the system and it indicates that MPs did not feel able to justify these expenses to their constituents."

Certain sensitive details on the original documents - including the address of Mr Brown's constituency home and Mr Cameron's mortgage account number - have been blanked out of the photocopies which were made public. Under the terms of the court ruling, details may be withheld from the public where there are "specific security concerns".

The documents showed Mr Brown's claims include a Sky TV subscription and television licence, utility and council tax bills and charges for service, insurance and ground rent. The then-Chancellor also submitted a bill for £4,471 for refurbishment work on his kitchen in 2005 and £1,396 for painting and decorating in 2006.

Barring one small claim for a telephone bill, Tory leader David Cameron's expenses seem to consist only of claims for mortgage interest on his second home.