Bradford MPs claim £680,000 over 14 months for expenses (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Bradford MPs claim £680,000 over 14 months for expenses
9:00am Friday 7th September 2012 in News
By Anika Bourley
Bradford MPs claimed a total of more than £680,000 in expenses in 14 months, it has been revealed.
The figures released by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), set up in the wake of the scandal which saw four MPs jailed, detail claims from April 2011 to the end of May.
Expenses are published online every two months as part of the drive for transparency.
The figures show Gerry Sutcliffe (Lab, Bradford South) submitted claims for £148,784.94, Philip Davies (Con, Shipley ) £145,175.81, David Ward (Lib Dem, Bradford East) £139,864.21 and Kris Hopkins (Con, Keighley ) £138,415.87. The late Bradford West Labour MP Marsha Singh submitted receipts for £115,706.64.
An average of £100,000 for each MP is staffing costs and claims for thousands of pounds were submitted for running their constituency offices. The remainder is claimed for London rents while they are in Westminster and travel to and from the constituency.
According to the Ipsa data, Greg Mulholland (Lib Dem, Leeds North West) claimed the most of the district MPs in expenses at £188,783.
The expenses body also said it is possible that an MP has since made additional claims relating to the financial year 2011/12. Nationally, £89 million was spent.
Ipsa chair Sir Ian Kennedy said the new transparent process was “inconceivable” a few years ago.
He said the data showed the MPs expenses scandal is “behind us” and MPs are abiding by the rules.
Mr Kennedy added: “There will be some who might say ‘this is too much’ or ‘I could do it for less’. But we should look at the issue in more depth.
“MPs are there to represent us. If we want to be able to see our MP, contact their staff – and it is in on MPs’ staff where most of this expense goes – visit MPs’ offices, have them write to us, represent us in Parliament and help us with problems in the constituency, we have to face the fact that there is a cost to doing so. If we want a good service from our MPs, we have to fund them. And if you don't think you get a good service from your MP, the answer is not to withhold funding, it is to use your vote.”
Expenses cover items and costs MPs incur in their work.
A spokesman for Mr Mulholland’s office said his staffing costs were higher in 2011/12 due to health problems among two members of staff in his constituency office which incurred the additional expense of using temporary workers which had been approved by Ipsa.
No claims were available for the new Bradford West MP George Galloway who came into Parliament in April.
Comments(15)
Avro
says...
9:17am Fri 7 Sep 12
I bet Galloway's travel expenses are considerable, because he's rarely here.....
El Marco
says...
9:19am Fri 7 Sep 12
Albion.
says...
10:20am Fri 7 Sep 12
Joedavid wrote:Very true.
Looks like a good reason to cut the number of MPs then as in T&A the other day.
Prisoner Cell Block A
says...
11:19am Fri 7 Sep 12
So how come none are available for Gorgeous? Should be at least two x 2 months worth if they are published every two months.
a reasonable sort of chap
says...
11:41am Fri 7 Sep 12
You can't have a pay rise, you can't have libraries or swimming baths, your bins won't be emptied on time, you can't have a fully functioning Police or Fire service, but don't worry, the MPs still get their expenses and the Bankers still get their bonuses. Time for a Revolution?
angry bradfordian
says...
1:32pm Fri 7 Sep 12
a reasonable sort of chap wrote:I assume your idea of a revolution won't include elected representatives with staff and offices to deal with their constituents. Or the facility to stay in London whilst representing the city at parliament?
Meanwhile the rest of us are expected to exist on either a pittance of Min. Wage or forty quid a week Hardship Allowance (ie. the new Dole).
You can't have a pay rise, you can't have libraries or swimming baths, your bins won't be emptied on time, you can't have a fully functioning Police or Fire service, but don't worry, the MPs still get their expenses and the Bankers still get their bonuses. Time for a Revolution?
Most these 'expenses' are actually costs required to have a democracy; or are you suggesting you'd rather have a dictatorship so you can have more benefits?
Prisoner Cell Block A
says...
1:41pm Fri 7 Sep 12
a reasonable sort of chap wrote:The chance of a true social uprising was ruined last summer by greedy chavs looting trainers and setting fire to furniture shops. If they were rioting to bring attention to the plight of poverty trap, against the government and against the bankers it would have been a riot in Westminster and The City not Camden, Tottenham and Birmingham.
Meanwhile the rest of us are expected to exist on either a pittance of Min. Wage or forty quid a week Hardship Allowance (ie. the new Dole).
You can't have a pay rise, you can't have libraries or swimming baths, your bins won't be emptied on time, you can't have a fully functioning Police or Fire service, but don't worry, the MPs still get their expenses and the Bankers still get their bonuses. Time for a Revolution?
The workshy and lazy/greedy lot have ruined the chance and also given more power to the police/governemnt to quell future risings.
Avro
says...
2:00pm Fri 7 Sep 12
Maybe that was always the intent in leaving the rioters to it last summer?
localydocaly
says...
9:24pm Fri 7 Sep 12
calmbutprickly
says...
9:39pm Fri 7 Sep 12
count_cillla
says...
10:26pm Fri 7 Sep 12
thelastmanstanding
says...
12:46am Sat 8 Sep 12
a reasonable sort of chap wrote:ARSOC, how can you complain about how much somebody else costs the taxpayer when you havent got a job and you are a burden on the working class yourself?
Meanwhile the rest of us are expected to exist on either a pittance of Min. Wage or forty quid a week Hardship Allowance (ie. the new Dole). You can't have a pay rise, you can't have libraries or swimming baths, your bins won't be emptied on time, you can't have a fully functioning Police or Fire service, but don't worry, the MPs still get their expenses and the Bankers still get their bonuses. Time for a Revolution?
thelastmanstanding
says...
3:13am Sat 8 Sep 12
s like ARSOC who fantasise about "Revolution" always harp on about "The working class", yet they have never done a days work in their lives and they have just drained public funds that could have been spent on improving the lives of the rest of us who have actually paid in.
These types are usually complete wasters who are just out for a free ride (ARSOC fits this bill. He once told me he wouldn't work unless a vacancy for a bobbin ligger or greasy percher arose in one of Bradford's now extinct mills) or they are wanky students who are from a very privileged nmiddle/upper class background who are just trying to be a bit rebellious towards their parents, but when they graduate from University they will forget all about this revolution and get a job in their dad's multi-million pound company and become a part of the system they once rebelled against.
These people are not to be taken seriously, they are absolutely full of it.
Albion.
says...
6:29am Sat 8 Sep 12
count_cillla wrote:This isn't about what they are paid, it's about expense claims and they do have to be accounted for.
Cant see why they shudnt be paid national minimum wages. They do nothing but yap. If Cllr's can do it for 12k why can't MP. They r no different.
Joedavid says...
9:12am Fri 7 Sep 12