What is Allowed?
MPs are permitted a budget to pay for office costs accrued in undertaking their parliamentary duties, such as printer ink and headed notepaper etc.
What I Claim:
Between May 2010 and April 2019 I saved the taxpayer £160,000 through underspending on my Office budget.
MPs buy an item for their office, for example printer ink, they then claimed for that sum, provide a receipt and make a claim. The sum is then compensated back to the MP.
As your MP, I claim what I need to run an efficient office. However, I never ‘maxed out’ my office budget or renewed things unnecessarily where there was nothing wrong with the old one - just because there is money in the budget. My laptop computer is almost nine years old for example.
I saved the taxpayer large sums of money by underspending on this budget. Here is the maths:
Financial Year 2010-11
· Max Office Budget: £19, 302.95
· Michael claimed: £3,377.76
· Total amount saved for taxpayer: £15,924.29
2011-12
· Max Office Budget: £21,500
· Michael claimed: £5,416.60
· Total amount saved for taxpayer: £16,083.40
2012-13
· Max Office Budget: £22,200
· Michael claimed: £4,663.60
· Total amount saved for taxpayer: £17,536.40
2013-14
· Max Office Budget: £22,750
· Michael claimed: £5,210.57
· Total amount saved for taxpayer: £17,539.43
2014-15
· Max Office Budget: £23,250
· Michael claimed: £6,500.22
· Total amount saved for taxpayer: £16,749.78
2015-16
· Max Office Budget: £23,400
· Michael claimed: £5,343.40
· Total amount saved for taxpayer: £18,056.60
2016-17
· Max Office Budget: £23,450
· Michael claimed: £6,854.12
· Total amount saved for taxpayer: £16,595.88
2017-18
· Max Office Budget: £24,150
· Michael claimed: £3,263.59
· Total amount saved for taxpayer: £20,886.41
2018-19
· Max Office Budget: £24,880.00
· Michael claimed: £4,044.00
· Total amount saved for taxpayer: £20,836.00