MPs' expenses: Figures reveal the true price of our democracy (From Thisisdorset)
When news happens send us your pictures, video and views. Text BE to 80360 or contact us by email
MPs' expenses: Figures reveal the true price of our democracy
9:00am Sunday 16th September 2012 in Latest By Darren Slade, Chief Reporter
MPs' expenses: Figures reveal the true price of our democracy
NEW figures reveal how much MPs have been costing the taxpayer in expenses over the past year.
The money claimed for expenses, employing staff and running offices varies between £87,000 and £151,000 for MPs in the Daily Echo’s area.
That figure is on top of the £65,738 salary drawn by all MPs.
A number are claiming less than they did in 2008-09, when the scandal over MPs’ expenses broke.
Tobias Ellwood, Conservative MP for Bournemouth East, claimed the most in the Daily Echo’s area at £151,441, including £99,292 on payroll costs.
He said: “If you want to provide a good service in dealing with constituents’ issues, then you need the staff to be able to act on those. That’s what we’re there for, to represent constituents efficiently.”
He said it was difficult to compare MPs’ different circumstances and that members should be judged on how well constituents’ concerns were answered and how an MP performed in Westminster.
“If I did no work, answered no calls, didn’t turn up for any debates, I could cut costs down to zero. Would that be good value?” he said.
The lowest claimer in the Echo’s area was Desmond Swayne , Conservative for New Forest West, who claimed £86,894, of which £75,444 was on payroll.
He said MPs were no longer discussing the issue much.
“I would imagine that having had our fingers so badly burned, surely everyone’s being extremely sensitive and modest,” he said.
MPs now have to declare when they are employing a “connected party” such as their spouse.
Christchurch MP Christopher Chope claimed between £45,000 and £49,999 for employing his wife Christine as a secretary.
Mr Swayne declared that he paid between £5,000 to £9,999 to his wife Moira as office manager. He told the Echo the actual figure was £7,500 and said she did a lot more than she was paid for.
“There’s no one else who can brief me at 10 o’clock at night when we’ve got time because they take all the phone calls,” he said.
“There’s no one else who can take me aside on a Sunday afternoon and say ‘You’ve got to do this, this and this because there are five phone calls a week about X’.”
South Dorset MP Richard Drax , elected for the Tories in 2010, said: “MPs shouldn’t have to be watched. We’re all called honourable members and people who behave honourably do not fiddle expenses.
“Having said that, in the past there’s been a lapse in that trus.
“There’s a very huge awareness amongst MPs that they’ve got to be very careful what they spend on behalf of their constituents.”
Conor Burns of Bournemouth West, another Conservative of the 2010 intake, said: “There are those who were in parliament before the last election who still feel aggrieved at the change of regime and there are those of us who watched the expenses scandal in the last parliament as taxpayers and members of the public and have gone to Westminster with that view.
“The view I take on it is ‘Does this pass the doorstep test? Can I look a constituent on the doorstep in the eye and justify why I’ve claimed a particular sum of money for a particular thing?’ – which is why I don’t employ any members of my family and why I don’t claim for food, which is an allowable expense.
“I don’t see why the taxpayer should pay for me to eat when MPs are sitting.”
Three Dorset MPs earned extra payments for parliamentary duties. Robert Syms of Poole was paid £14,582 as a committee chair and Chris Chope the same amount for sitting on the panel of chairs, while Annette Brooke of Mid-Dorset and North Poole earned £6,911 on the panel of chairs.
We'll have fully interactive charts showing exactly who claimed what online later this week.
Comments(24)
EDDIE GROVES.
says...
9:27am Sun 16 Sep 12
GOD HELP US
pete woodley
says...
10:35am Sun 16 Sep 12
sea poole
says...
11:02am Sun 16 Sep 12
O'Reilly
says...
11:30am Sun 16 Sep 12
saynomore
says...
12:07pm Sun 16 Sep 12
O'Reilly
says...
1:57pm Sun 16 Sep 12
saynomore wrote:Is his wife the secretary? Just asking......
50k for a secretary?? I see that Chope is still at it.It is time his expenses were looked into agian,nice little racket going on here in my opinion.
Phixer
says...
2:47pm Sun 16 Sep 12
O'Reilly wrote:Can't you read - just asking? Yet another waste of space that makes comments without actually reading the article!
saynomore wrote:Is his wife the secretary? Just asking......
50k for a secretary?? I see that Chope is still at it.It is time his expenses were looked into agian,nice little racket going on here in my opinion.
This is what it says above - to save you the bother of doing that for yourself:
"Christchurch MP Christopher Chope claimed between £45,000 and £49,999 for employing his wife Christine as a secretary."
dogsoftheworld
says...
2:59pm Sun 16 Sep 12
sea poole wrote:You really don't like Robert Syms do you...always posting horrible insinuations and accusations. Is that because he beat you in the general election sea poole?
No surprise about the MP (Missing Person) for Poole. I wonder just how long he spends filling in his expenses forms, erecting IKEA flat-packs etc. compared with the amount of time devoted to his constituents...
Each MP has 100000-ish constituents. If you really think £1 each is expensive, I suggest you try going away and live somewhere where they dont have democracy- North Korea, Burma, China...
sea poole
says...
5:07pm Sun 16 Sep 12
I don't like MPs who make silly claims for expenses e.g. flatpacks from IKEA and then have deliveries via Cheltenham -and who don't appear to have any 'clout' anywhere -apart from being a profligate expenses claimer -including trips to London when Parliament is in recess...on many occasions. Just a thought -are YOU the MP) Missing Person in disguise...?
Jurasicle
says...
6:09pm Sun 16 Sep 12
Their boys club fleecing the people for generations with a controlled democracy akin to a dictatorship.
They are educated in the same schools with the same objectives, keep control in the same hands.pp
If you think you live in a true democracy you have been had, hook line n sinker.
fuzzy wuzzie
says...
6:31pm Sun 16 Sep 12
ekimnoslen
says...
6:35pm Sun 16 Sep 12
O'Reilly
says...
7:41pm Sun 16 Sep 12
Phixer wrote:You are too kind.....
O'Reilly wrote:Can't you read - just asking? Yet another waste of space that makes comments without actually reading the article!
saynomore wrote:Is his wife the secretary? Just asking......
50k for a secretary?? I see that Chope is still at it.It is time his expenses were looked into agian,nice little racket going on here in my opinion.
This is what it says above - to save you the bother of doing that for yourself:
"Christchurch MP Christopher Chope claimed between £45,000 and £49,999 for employing his wife Christine as a secretary."
O'Reilly
says...
7:41pm Sun 16 Sep 12
Phixer wrote:You are too kind.....
O'Reilly wrote:Can't you read - just asking? Yet another waste of space that makes comments without actually reading the article!
saynomore wrote:Is his wife the secretary? Just asking......
50k for a secretary?? I see that Chope is still at it.It is time his expenses were looked into agian,nice little racket going on here in my opinion.
This is what it says above - to save you the bother of doing that for yourself:
"Christchurch MP Christopher Chope claimed between £45,000 and £49,999 for employing his wife Christine as a secretary."
Adrian XX
says...
8:36am Mon 17 Sep 12
phonehome
says...
10:01am Mon 17 Sep 12
derek_acorah
says...
10:37am Mon 17 Sep 12
And without a hint of irony too. Impressive.
Adrian XX
says...
10:58am Mon 17 Sep 12
phonehome wrote:While it is possible that "someone with no qualifications or experience whatsoever" can become an MP, this is rare. All of the MPs mentioned in the article have plenty of qualifications and experience. (Look them up on wikipedia)
I think that being an MP is the highest paid job anyone can get for someone with no qualifications or experience whatsoever. Being paid expenses as well just adds insult to injury.
MPs do not receive the expenses they claim personally. For example, when they employ staff to run their offices, the staff get the money. They cannot be expected to answer the phone and do all the paperwork expected of them and do constituency business and attend parliament.
pete woodley
says...
12:11pm Mon 17 Sep 12
sea poole
says...
12:18pm Mon 17 Sep 12
HRH of Boscombe
says...
2:59pm Mon 17 Sep 12
Adrian XX wrote:Why has Tobias Ellwood claimed for Staffing AND salaries?
phonehome wrote: I think that being an MP is the highest paid job anyone can get for someone with no qualifications or experience whatsoever. Being paid expenses as well just adds insult to injury.While it is possible that "someone with no qualifications or experience whatsoever" can become an MP, this is rare. All of the MPs mentioned in the article have plenty of qualifications and experience. (Look them up on wikipedia) MPs do not receive the expenses they claim personally. For example, when they employ staff to run their offices, the staff get the money. They cannot be expected to answer the phone and do all the paperwork expected of them and do constituency business and attend parliament.
saynomore
says...
5:15pm Mon 17 Sep 12
Adrian XX wrote:Oh come on,does a secretary normally get board and lodging paid for and more than likely a car for personal use thrown in,I think not.Are you a mate of Chope the Dope???
We don't know precisely what kind of work and how many hours Mrs Chope does. I don't think £45,000 for a secretary (who is probably far closer to a P.A.) is unreasonable.
Imaximus
says...
8:44am Tue 18 Sep 12
jobsworthwatch says...
9:12am Sun 16 Sep 12