Andrew Stunell's Pay and Allowances Update
Summary: The Cost to YOU of Having Me as Your MP
Cost per constituent in the last year:
- MP's pay ............................................................................................. 92p
- MP's staff and local office .................................................................. £1.65p
- MP's reports, surveys, letters ................................................................. 22p
- MP's travel ........................................................................................... 6p
- MP's living in London ............................................................................. 18p
- Total cost per constituent .............................................................. £3.03p
I have had this page on my website for some time, as I believe it is important to be as transparent as possible about the money you pay me and how it is spent. In view of the many inquiries I have had since the scandal of the misuse of MPs' expenses broke, I have provided as much extra information as possible. Copies of all of my expenses claims, including receipts, running through to the First Quarter of 2009/10 are now available at the following link:
My record on expenses is not 100% perfect, as it turns out, despite my best efforts. Whilst looking at the electronic version of my original claim forms, one eagle-eyed constituent has spotted that I wrongly submitted the same invoice twice for different toner cartridges in 2007. I can't find the second invoice that should have been submitted, and so I have now repaid the claim - for £41.13p
Ever since I was first elected in 1997, I have been aware of how fortunate I have been in being able to do a job I find thoroughly fulfilling and having the financial support of the Additional Costs Allowance to be able to do that job without the trials of commuting 360 miles a day.
My small flat [pictured] gives me the opportunity to be completely flexible during the week and to concentrate in the evenings on the work in hand, without having one eye on the railway timetable. The House of Commons regularly sits until 10:30 at night and it occasionally goes on until 1:00 in the morning or later.
My Kitchen in London
I realise that to have this flexibility provided by the taxpayer is a privilege and I have always borne that in mind when deciding what was legitimate to claim. The system, devised many years before I entered Parliament, was intended to help MPs to maximise their productive time in Westminster but sadly the system has been proved to be flawed in its administration and open to abuse.
Unlike most other professional jobs, an MP's salary is public knowledge, and so are the expenses, which many people think all goes into the MP's back pocket - or his family's! Recent publicity has certainly shown up some glaring abuses, and have rightly made people angry. But in my experience most MPs (from all parties) are well intentioned people who believe in public service and are definitely not misusing their allowances. I strongly support the moves now being made to tighten up the existing rules, and I hope that we can have the new rules that the Kelly Report will recommend later this year in force as soon as possible.
Last year, I was paid a salary of £61,820. In July 2008, the House of Commons voted for what was then a below-inflation 2.25% pay rise, which increased MPs' annual salary to £63,291. I supported this, and voted against a proposal to increase MPs' pay substantially more. There are no increments to the pay scale; every MP gets the same pay regardless of length of service.
A decision in March 2009 by the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) for a further increase in MPs' pay to £64,766 looked out of line to me, and I have donated this year's increase to three local charities. The links to the charities I am supporting are below:
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