MP David Amess has dismissed the expenses scandal as unimportant and said there are more serious issues facing the country.

However, many of his constituents, as well as his opponents for the Southend West seat in Parliament, disagreed and insisted residents are entitled to answers about his expenses. They want him to justify his expenses claims for his second home in London, such as furniture, food and allowances for undisclosed items through petty cash.

Mr Amess wrote in an article in the Leigh Times that he believes “there are much, much more serious issues at stake other than the claims MPs make in terms of allowances”.

He was invited to write a piece for the paper, but has consistently refused to return calls or give a face-to-face interview to the Echo over the past few weeks.

Mr Amess has also backed out of an appointment made by one of his Leigh constituents, Katy Islip, who is also an Echo reporter.

She was due to meet him to ask about the expenses issue today at his constituency surgery after being turned away two weeks ago.

Earlier this week, however, someone from his constituency office rang to say it had to be cancelled or changed due to a “prior engagement”.

Prospective parliamentary candidate Tom Flynn said: “If Mr Amess thinks it is trivial, then he has misread the entire mood of the country.

“People in Southend are struggling with economic hardship and they have an MP saying this is trivial, but it’s not to them.”

Peter Welch, Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate, said expenses are still a key issue to people.

He said: “For a huge number of people this is fundamental.”

Mr Amess tried to deflect interest by writing about changes to hours of Parliament in 1997. He wrote that expenses should have been changed then, but he has voted against reform of the system since then.

Mr Amess again declined to comment yesterday.