North Staffordshire and South Cheshire MPs cost the taxpayer £1.7m in last financial year
MPs claimed more than £1.1 million in expenses in the last financial year – taking the total bill for the region's parliamentarians to £1.7 million.
Annual claim totals for 2011/12 have been published by parliamentary watchdog IPSA, which was set up in the wake of the 2009 expenses scandal.
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Rob Flello, left, and Bill Cash
They show three of the region's eight MPs employ members of their own family to support their parliamentary work with the total bill for salary and expenses hitting £1,714,488.27 for the year.
Claims include everything from council tax and electricity bills to train tickets and congestion charge payments in London and meals for interns.
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Figures show Stone MP Bill Cash is the most expensive politician in North Staffordshire and South Cheshire.
The veteran Conservative, who is chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee, was paid £80,320 and claimed £157,011 in expenses to cover office space, staffing, travel and accommodation.
Mr Cash employs his wife Bridget as a 'parliamentary assistant' at a cost of between £25,000 and £29,999 a year.
Joan Walley also receives the higher salary of £80,320 as chairman of the Environment Audit Select Committee and claimed £134,438.97 expenses.
Staffordshire Moorlands Conservative MP Karen Bradley, claimed £152,375.50 in expenses – including the highest individual travel and accommodation bill of £35,929.86. Her husband Neil is employed as a 'senior parliamentary assistant' on £40,000 to £44,999 a year.
She said: "I try to drive to London as it keeps costs down and I never claim for just a couple of miles.
"My husband has a degree in classics and has experience of being a political adviser and writer. I needed somebody who knew the Moorlands and understood what was going on and decided there was nobody I could trust more than him."
Paul Farrelly, Labour MP for Newcastle, claimed £158,419.63. His wife Victoria Perry is paid between £5,000 and £9,999 as an assistant.
Rob Flello, MP for Stoke-on-Trent South, who claimed £131,422.36 in expenses with £28,347.65 for travel and accommodation, said: "The role of an MP is not stuck away in Westminster, you've also got to be on the patch.
"I have no problem with publication of expenses. I've always endeavoured to claim only what's appropriate."
Stoke-on-Trent Central MP Tristram Hunt claimed £143,184.56.
The lowest total in the region was claimed by Edward Timpson, Tory representative for Crewe and Nantwich, who filed £136,237.33 in expenses and costs on top of the basic MP's salary of £65,738. Mr Timpson claimed £8,787.68 for parking, rail tickets and congestion zone fees but billed nothing for accommodation as he stays with family.
Comments
by Leekchap
Wednesday, September 19 2012, 6:54PM
“£152,000 in expenses! Shes a waste of money. All she does is take, and couldnt be bothered to help the people of Leek when it came to saving the roundabout. She avoided the subject like the plague,
Says she likes to drive down to London to save money yet claims £36,000 in travelling expenses? Shes got some neck on her. She must believe the people of Leek are stupid. Lets make sure shes not re-elected next time.”
by MusicHallFan
Sunday, September 09 2012, 6:49PM
“Por value for money all round!”
by meirhayflyer
Sunday, September 09 2012, 5:46PM
“to be honest if we didnt have this flawed expences system the whole house would be full of rich people..... hold on it is...... in touch with reality.......not”
by fredthefrib
Sunday, September 09 2012, 1:44PM
“Don't think MPs should control their own expnses as it's open to all kinds of abuse.
To make it fair why can't we all claim job related expenses on the same scale as this?”
by DSCastle
Saturday, September 08 2012, 5:49PM
“Take out the fact that Bill Cash has another job in government that no other local MP currently holds, then the figures show yet again that Newcastle's MP Farrelly is again the expense junky, top of the tree with his snout firmly in the trough. Previously when these figures were produced he was the most expensive in the West Midlands and for what?”
by Jolyteddy
Saturday, September 08 2012, 5:26PM
“''take them to court charged with theft''
But the judge will say that they have been very brave or very clever and let them off, especially if they were at school with him.”
by johnboy2011
Saturday, September 08 2012, 4:04PM
“Sack the lot of them, and then take them to court charged with theft.”
by snaphappy111
Saturday, September 08 2012, 2:49PM
“And this is after the expenses scandal! WOW”
by Dizzy1960
Saturday, September 08 2012, 2:10PM
“If every working person could claim expenses we'd all be OK with the topic, but it isn't and the expenses claimed are extortionate and effect every working person, and as for employing family, well, that just demonstrates how blinkered they are to their own needs!”
by muzzer57
Saturday, September 08 2012, 12:21PM
“Why do they get their council tax paid??
Karen Bradley pays her old man £45,000 for being an "assistant" nice work.”