Sponsored by
Leeds MP is UK's 7th most expensive MP
Leeds MP Fabian Hamilton is the UK's seventh most expensive Member of Parliament, new figures reveal.
In the latest list of expenses, Leeds North East member Mr Hamilton is shown to have cost the taxpayer 184,071.01 in the year 08/09.
* Click here to read YEP political editor Mark Hookham's Westminster blog.
Among his expenses were 23,420 on a second home or other accommodation, 92,290 on staffing costs, 29,727 on running his office and 13,350 on travel.
* Click here to watch latest YEP news and sport video reports.
The Labour MP's expenses bill also included a 2,077.40 Apple computer, 343.98 on business cards, 346.65 on a mobile phone bill and 519.70 on stationery.
* Click here for latest YEP news and sport picture slideshows.
The latest figures emerged just days after the YEP reported Mr Hamilton was forced to pay back thousands of pounds after failing to spot that 7,000 had been mistakenly paid into his account.
* Click here for latest Leeds United news.
He said he had "not noticed" the huge overpayment because his balance had been "going up and down like a yoyo" due to the costs of selling his late mother's home.
Mr Hamilton told the YEP that his office expenditure was higher than usual because his personal assistant was on nine months maternity leave, so he had to use temporary secretarial allowance.
Also hitting the top 10 most expensive MPs was Harrogate Lib Dem Phil Willis who put in a total claim for 183,075.23, making him the 10th dearest.
He claimed 23,640 on "staying away from home", 108,263 on staffing costs and 14,558 on travel. He received a single payment of more than 5,500 for stationery.
By contrast, the least expensive local MP was Hilary Benn (Lab, Leeds Central), who is also Secretary of State for the Environment. He put in a total expenses bill of 124,391.05 – some 60,000 less than Fabian Hamilton – and was the 573rd most expensive MP, out of a total of 647.
Services
Among the items he claimed for was a 902.40 copier machine, 3,812 for Royal Mail and 3,170 for services from a company called Smith David Press Ltd.
How the other MPs fared in the expenses league table:
l John Grogan (Lab, Selby) was 29th most expensive with claims of 177,262.34
l Shahid Malik (Lab, Dewsbury) was 58th, with a claim of 173,094.70
l Mary Creagh (Lab, Wakefield) was 101st with claims totalling 166,738.92
l Greg Mulholland (Lib Dem, Leeds North West) was in 117th position, having claimed 165,835.00
l Yvette Cooper (Lab, Castleford and Pontefract and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions) was 139th in the rankings, claiming 163,929.47
l John Battle (Lab, Leeds West) was in 143rd place, with total claims of 163,631.50
l Colin Challen (Lab, Morley) came in at 191st, costing the taxpayer 160,005.46
l Ed Balls (Lab, Normanton and Schools Secretary) was in 194th position with a total claim of 159,783.83
l Colin Burgon (Lab, Elmet) was placed 227th after claiming 157,375.07
l John Trickett (Lab, Hemsworth) was ranked 378th most expensive with a claim of 145,409.37
l George Mudie (Lab, Leeds East) was the 404th most expensive, costing the taxpayer 143,117.31
l Mike Wood (Lab, Batley and Spen) was 447th, claiming 140,673.16
l Paul Truswell (Lab, Pudsey) was 518th with expenses worth 133,217.02
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Leeds
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 1 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
