MPs run up £4.5m expenses bill

David Ottewell

March 31, 2009

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Janet Anderson

THE 31 MPs in our region claimed a total of £4.5 million in expenses in just one year, it has emerged.

The figures cover everything from staff costs and travel to the controversial second-home allowance - but do not include MPs' salaries or pensions.

Janet Anderson, Labour MP for Rossendale and Darwen, topped the regional list with a claim of £173,540. That included £11,966 in mileage, enough for 100,000 miles worth of petrol in a 40mpg car.

Labour's Phil Woolas (£169,458), Ivan Lewis (£165,672) and Hazel Blears (£164,797) were second, third and fourth.

Congleton Tory Nicholas Winterton claimed the least, at £89,135. He was followed by former education secretary Ruth Kelly (£115,851) and Mr Winterton's wife, Ann, the MP for Macclesfield (£121,352).

The figures disclosed for the first time the amount spent on travel for their spouses and children.

How much did your MP claim?

MPs are allowed to claim the cost of up to 30 single journeys between London and their constituencies or homes, for each family member, every year.

The table appeared to show that Ms Blears claimed £2,953 for just six one-way trips made by her husband, Michael, at a cost of just under £500 each.

A spokesman for Ms Blears blamed an 'administrative error' and claimed the number of trips made was actually much higher.

"Our records show [Michael made] a total of eight return trips and one single trip for a total of £2,615.85," said the spokesman. "All of the trips were by train. We will be making inquiries with the fees officer to find out what has happened."

The MPs spent a total of £27,713 on travel for their wives, husbands, and children, at an average of £100.41p per one-way trip.

Eight of our MPs claimed the maximum possible £23,083 in second-home allowance. They included four members of the government - Ms Blears, Beverley Hughes, Mr Lewis and Mr Woolas - plus Labour backbenchers Ian McCartney and David Crausby, the Lib Dem's Paul Rowen and Conservative Graham Brady.

How much did your MP claim?

The allowance is intended to help MPs living away from London run a second home. The Wintertons claimed a combined total of £35,112 in second home allowance - which is within the rules as they both individually fell below the threshold.

The Conservative Party declined to comment on their claims. Ms Anderson made the biggest overall claim for transport, at £20,949.

The most spent on rail travel was £13,495, by Andrew Gwynne - just over £80 for each day Parliament sat last year.

The 31 MPs spent a total of £2.6m on staff, with Jim Dobbin (£95,754) and John Leech (£94,425) submitting the biggest claims.

Mr Lewis topped the table for stationery and postage, at £116 a week on both combined. Ms Anderson was unavailable for comment.

Commons authorities are hunting a mole trying to sell expenses records of all MPs for £300,000. A spokesman said they had 'a pretty good idea' of the source of the offer.

How much did your MP claim?

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Bejjy ex Salford now Malta, Malta (31/03/2009 at 12:02)

This is outrageous and just shows how our democratically elected MP's have got their snouts well and truely stuck in the trough. No wonder they are all so desperate not to lose their constituency seats at election time, where else would any of them get such exhorbinate perks in any other profession? And I find it astounding the amounts they claim in travel expenses. I assume that they all claim second home allowance and have homes within the sight of the Palace of Westminster. Why then are some of them claiming in excess of £16,000 per annun in travel costs. Parliament only sits for about 30 weeks a year so if each MP travels back and forth to Manchester 30 times a year it is costing the hard pressed tax payer over £500 per return trip. As I said, this is outrageous and something must be done to curb the excesses that these MP's are claiming for especially at a time when the general population are being asked to tighten their belts.

Hamish Macbeth, Whitefield (31/03/2009 at 13:31)

I love the line the MPs come out with...
I could earn more in the private sector so I boost my pay with my expenses.
Well go and get a job in the private sector then. There is no shortage of people to become MPs. Its not like you need any qualifications or extensive training.
We are run from Europe anyway - so why do we need so many MPs ?

thehorse (31/03/2009 at 13:58)

There must be a very big trough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

J.Hall, Tameside (31/03/2009 at 14:03)

Forgot to mention how the Labour Politicians are jumping about in a frenzy, at the news that the Guardian group are condensing their operations with the various local Advertisers.
Now with all the money MP`s pocket surely they could publish their own newspaper,instead of weekly stuffing their faces and posing in OUR LOCAL PAPERS.
Celebs my A---

Esso Blue, , Manchester. (31/03/2009 at 14:30)

Maybe we should go back in history and present the conservative MPs expenses when they were in power.

Lady phoenix (31/03/2009 at 14:46)

Haven't they all done well at the expense of the hard pressed tax payer. They'd never get away with this in the private sector, in fact some of the 'errors' could be classed as fraudulent and they'd be sacked. It is now time that all public servants, including local councillors and the like, have their perks and expenses publicised so that the elctorate can see how tax payers money is used to sustain this ineffective political merry -go-round. Public respect has gone and the gravy train must now be grounded.

Bejjy ex Salford now Malta, Malta (31/03/2009 at 14:59)

Your right Esso Blue, its not only the New Labour party MP's that are milking the system but a majority, not all, of MP's from all parties. As I said in my earlier comment, something has got to be done to stop the abuse, and thats what it is, of MP's making unwarrented and excessive claims at a cost to the tax payer.

Princess_Pam, Crumpsall (31/03/2009 at 16:02)

Isn't this the real reason that MP's don't want their expenses published? It's nothing to do with maintaining their privacy, but all to do with seeing how much they can sponge for their seven months of three day weeks per year plus many overseas jaunts and free tickets to the European Cup Final in Moscow (Thanks Manchester Evening News).

Yet only one hundred years ago, MP's weren't paid - they did the job as a "public service". Now they think we are accountable to them and not the other way around.

Thank goodness that this June I'll be able to vote for the new workers party of No2EU instead of that lot in westminster.

citycentre, manchester (31/03/2009 at 16:08)

"Yet only one hundred years ago, MP's weren't paid - they did the job as a "public service""

great idea, we only need the children of the rich as our representitives dont we?

"They'd never get away with this in the private sector"

Sir Fred Goodwin did

Princess_Pam, Crumpsall (31/03/2009 at 16:23)

Citycentre : I'm not saying MP's shouln't be paid. I'm trying to make the point that it has now got out of control. When I started work, MP's were linked to average earnings, which whilst still above the wage of ordinary working people, was much lowere than they are on now. If they hadn't awarded themselves above average pay increases since 1979, they would now be on about £500 per week. If they don't want to do the job for that amount then they can always step down, there is a queue a mile long to represent the people. But nowadays, they want more money because they are lawyers, business people and others at the top of the white collar tree. How many Blue collar MP's have been elected in the last 15 years, not many I'll bet. Blue Collar workers don't have representatives in parliament but people who want to rule, and career politicians who want to take as much as they can without giving anything back.

willing to listen, Middleton (31/03/2009 at 16:28)

Is it any wonder ? that the great British public,
Have now lost all faith in this greedy grabing bunch...

Andanotherthing, Mcr (31/03/2009 at 16:46)

Some of these second homes must be two or three bedroomed. Therefore two or three MP's could bunk up together. Just a penny saving thought.

AAA, Davyhulme (31/03/2009 at 18:52)

Lady Phoenix has an excellent point about fraud.

Most recently the debate about MP’s expenses has changed to focus on how much MP’s are claiming. We may not like the fact that such large amounts of money are being claimed, but if it falls within the “rules” for claiming expenses then that’s OK (*).

BUT this has diverted, (intentionally ?), attention from the level of fraud involved. This is a pity as this is where the real crime is.

(*) Now before someone gets wildly excited….

Rules is rules… don’t mean I agree or like them… I am sure I recently saw that the MP’s bicycle allowance was 20p per mile!

MP’s allowances, and the rules for claiming them, should be published on the Internet.

Ewan Oosami, Halifax (31/03/2009 at 18:52)

It always amazes me how 2 MPs who are married to each other can each claim a second home allowance on their house. They're taking the proverbial. The Wintertons, Edd Balls are prime examples. I remember one guy claimed over £8000 for stamps in a year yet nobody who wrote to him got a reply.
Bide your time guys and gals we will get our revenge

andy (31/03/2009 at 19:56)

What a greedy bunch of indiviuals our MPs are. No wonder they did not want the great British public to see just how far they have got their collective snouts in the trough.

The Parliamentary Report shows that Janet Anderson claimed a whopping £17,676 in travelling expenses. With all this travelling one wonders whether she was able to stop in one place long enough to actually do anything.

Is It Me? (31/03/2009 at 20:17)

I can confidently predict that the turnout for the next general election will be around 20%. Who in their right mind is going to vote for people who have no interest in representing their constituents wishes and go to Parliament just to screw the public and steal money to line their own pockets. Most just follow the party line and don't ask their constituents what they want! We may as well have a Dictator who employs his own staff to do his bidding! Most MPs are a waste of space and getting voted in,for them,is like winning the lottery. It must be great not having to spend your wages on anything at all and be able to live on expenses!
Yes,they are working within the rules but THEY make the rules.What a mess.is it me or wot?

red one (01/04/2009 at 01:10)

The MPs are worried about there security as Newspapers may publish personal information which could be of use to terrorists. Personally I cannot see any newspaper publishing any information that would put the MPs in danger. This is just another diversionary tactic to prevent the media publishing news that is in the public interest. I notice there was not the safety concern when the list disclosing a list of BNP was placed on the internet or when this government loses the personal data of hundreds of people for criminals to use in identification fraud. Its about time this expenses issue was raised as it has been investigated for sometime now with the speaker of the house playing for time, hoping it will be forgotten about.
I wonder if G20 visitors will realise what a sleazy government the are dealing with and if so what effect it will have on the trust that Gordon Brown says all the countries must trust each other to avoid protectionism. MPs have cornered the market in protectionism, they certainly know how to look after themselves whilst the honest people are losing jobs, houses and families that are falling apart. Well done to these MPs who I consider lowest that the low!!

Jay B, oldham (01/04/2009 at 09:16)

i think its time for a real shake up of MP's expenses and wages!
they seem to be really taking the michael out of us.

their expenses bills seem well in excess of their actual wages!

dont forget who's paying all this money in the first place! everyone who pays tax!

and they the hypocrites have the cheek to only award 1.5% increase to public sector workers even though they where advised to give more.

and yet they awarded themselves higher pay rises when really they themselves should be taking pay cuts!

after all they havent been doing a good job have they?

citycentre, manchester (01/04/2009 at 09:34)

Jay B

"their expenses bills seem well in excess of their actual wages"

as i recall that was the idea; last time MP's pay was refromed following some scandal or other; it was felt giving them a big pay rise would be unacceptable so the salary was kept down, but expenses increased to make the overall amount the same

Jay B, oldham (01/04/2009 at 11:31)

but dont they get paid enough already? i'd love to be on quarter of what they're on! i'd do their job any day for half the money and no perks!

plus i'd do a better job too!

already drawing up my manifesto!

although i'd see through what i promised! unlike labour!

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