Yorkshire MPs put in £2.4m expenses claim

Wentworth and Dearne MP John Healey recorded the highest claims at £68,432 while Richmond MP William Hague claimed just £12,419, although as Foreign Secretary he will have access to ministerial travel that does not appear on expense claims. The lowest-claiming backbench MP was Skipton and Ripon’s Julian Smith.

Mr Healey has previously said his expenses for last year included the cost of refurbishing his offices so that he could take on an apprentice, a move agreed with the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), on top of the normal running costs.

The claims of Yorkshire MPs were dwarfed by those of North Antrim MP Ian Paisley who last year racked up expenses totalling more than £100,000.

At the other end of the scale, Zac Goldsmith, MP for the London constituency of Richmond Park, made no claims, while Business Minister Michael Fallon received just £38.74.

The total bill for all MPs’ expenses rose by more than seven per cent last year to £98m.

Most of the increase was down to larger staffing budgets – but the cost of MPs’ personal expenses also rose from £23.5m in 2011-12 to £23.8m last year.

The details emerged in the latest annual information released by the parliamentary watchdog.

TaxPayers’ Alliance chief executive Matthew Sinclair said: “Of course MPs should get reasonable office and staff support to assist them in their important work representing constituents at Westminster, but these costs must be kept under control.

“Taxpayers want to know that they are getting value for their money and they will have serious concerns about there being a hike in the overall cost of running MPs’ offices over the last 12 months.

“While there have been many sensible changes to the expenses regime since the 2009 scandal, this kind of year-on-year rise is totally unsustainable and Ipsa has to explain to those of us footing the bill how that has been allowed to happen.

“Unfortunately, Ipsa’s ability to safeguard taxpayers’ money has already been called into question, given its own administrative costs and its recent decision to decamp to a plush hotel to hatch its plan to increase MPs’ pay.”

Mr Sinclair added: “What remains essential is that all details of MPs’ expenses and office costs are easily accessible so that taxpayers can judge for themselves how their representatives are spending their cash and hold them to account as appropriate.”

The expenses system was the subject of a major overhaul in the wake of the 2009 scandal when MPs were shown to be claiming for expenditure including a duck house and swimming pool maintenance.

Stricter rules mean MPs are now limited to claiming for costs such as travel, office expenses and rent on a second home and the system is now overseen by the Ipsa rather than Parliament itself.

A Yorkshire Post investigation into MPs’ expenses earlier this year highlighted the detailed way claims are now made, with Leeds Central MP Hilary Benn asking for 34p to meet the cost of a plastic ruler, Hemsworth MP Jon Trickett claiming £10 for weedkiller bought at Homebase and Bradford East MP David Ward requesting £508 for camera equipment for his office.

It also showed how former Rotherham MP Denis MacShane legitimately claimed more than £3,000 in “winding up” expenses following his resignation last November.

And it highlighted how many MPs and their dependents continue to travel on first class rail tickets despite moves to discourage the practice.

MPs are only allowed to travel first class where it is cheaper than a standard ticket. However, the high price charged for many flexible standard tickets means that first class tickets can often be bought without breaking the rules.

The figures published yesterday showed there has been a sharp increase in the amount spent on special security for MPs.

In 2011-12 the bill – for measures recommended by the police – was £80,692 but last year it reached £129,829.

The publication comes after the watchdog proposed lifting MPs’ pay from £66,000 now to £74,000 after the 2015 general election, despite protests from Prime Minister David Cameron that the cost of politics must not be allowed to rise.

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