AM's can't complain of overwork if they Double Job.

So what work does A UKIP AM who  has been criticised for “moonlighting” and “double-jobbing” as a researcher actually do for the party’s only MP at Westminster, Douglas Carswell.

Mark Reckless, himself a Ukip MP until he lost his Kent seat in last year’s general election, now represents South Wales East in the Senedd.

The Wasting Mule reports that

"His entry in the Assembly’s register of members’ interests says: “Part-time director (not a company director) and company secretary, Ukip Parliamentary Resource Unit Limited”. The entry goes on to state that Mr Reckless works for between five and 20 hours per week. It says the company is in receipt of House of Commons “Short” money.

Unlike at Westminster AMs doing outside work do not have to say how much they are paid.

They are, however, obliged to say if they are in receipt of public funds. “Short” money is cash from public funds that is paid to opposition parties to help them employ researchers who help their policy development".

Asked to explain the work he did for Mr Carswell, Mr Reckless said: 

“The declaration is there. I am not sure I have got much to add to it. I generally work on Mondays in London to support the Ukip Parliamentary party as I don’t committees in the Assembly that day.” 

As an AM Mr Reckless’ basic salary is £64,000, on top of which he is paid £13,000 as chair of the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee.

His entry in the register of members’ interests also shows that he employs his wife Catriona as a senior adviser for 29.6 hours a week. Until earlier this month she sat as a member of Medway council in Kent, where she was deputy leader of the Ukip group. 

So we have the case that a member of one Legislature  is employed by another and paid by the Taxpayer. 

Although we have councillors retaining their council seats it could be argued that that helps them to keep in contact with some of their constituents.

Currently only Plaid Neil Mcevoy  seems to be in this position although Peter Black still operated as a Liberal Democrat ward councillor throughout 17 years as a AM  for   South Wales West Region until 2016.

Mr Mcevoy of course  ward on Cardiff Council is close to the Assembly  so maybe  he  has no problem at all juggling  between the two.

However AM cannot really complain about being overworked if they can find time to do their jobs during the Assembly week.

Which brings me to Blaenau Gwent AM Alun Davies  being  named as Welsh Labour's representative on UK Labour’s National Executive Committee.

At the time As Darren Williams who is a member of the NEC  argued

I pointed out that Welsh Labour has only 29 seats out of the sixty in the Assembly and needs every vote; no Labour AM, therefore, would be able to attend NEC meetings in London on a Tuesday when the Assembly is sitting. I made this point twice in the discussion but it was largely ignored. My second objection to the proposed rule change – that Scotland and Wales should have NEC representation but that these seats should be subject to an OMOV ballot of all members in the countries in question –"

So is Alun Davies the Welsh Representative  on the NEC  or  Carwyn Jones's?

Either way Labour seem to have decided o risk loosing a vote in he Assembly on the days when Mr Davies  is supposedly  representing a Welsh viewpoint to his party .

With Nathan Gill perhaps on Europe duties or Mr Reckless having to stay for a day in London to work for his Westminster  master  maybe there is no chance of that happening however.