MPs’ business costs

Catherine McKinnell

IPSA paid £3,033,809 against 2,598 published rows for Catherine McKinnell between 2010-11 and 2025-26 as the member for Newcastle upon Tyne North BC. These are the costs of running an office and employing staff under IPSA’s rules. They are not salary, and the largest part of them is wages IPSA pays to the member’s employees rather than money the member receives.

By category, 2010-11

215 claims, £145,280 paid. The headings are IPSA’s own categories grouped; the categories inside each are named on the register page.

Category	What it covers	Claims	Paid	Share
Staffing	The salaries and employment costs of the people an MP employs to run their office and casework. IPSA pays these directly; they are not money an MP receives.	18	£93,449	64.3%
Office costs	Renting and running a constituency office: rent, utilities, equipment, stationery and postage.	151	£19,634	13.5%
Accommodation	The cost of somewhere to stay for an MP whose constituency is far enough from Westminster that IPSA's rules allow it. An MP representing a London seat is not eligible on the same terms.	45	£22,080	15.2%
Travel	Journeys between the constituency and Westminster and within the constituency. Until 2018-19 IPSA published one travel category; from 2019-20 it publishes travel by the MP, by staff and by a dependant separately.	1	£10,117	7.0%

Every year in the register

Catherine McKinnell’s own years, not the register’s: the first is 2010-11 and the last is 2025-26. Figures are not adjusted for inflation, so a rise between two distant years is partly a rise in prices. Select a year to read it on its own.

Year	Claims	Staffing	Office costs	Accommodation	Travel	Miscellaneous	Total
2010-11	215	£93,449	£19,634	£22,080	£10,117	—	£145,280
2011-12	389	£122,038	£23,811	£22,144	£10,548	—	£178,539
2012-13	281	£122,037	£19,004	£22,663	£9,269	—	£172,973
2013-14	200	£116,156	£18,390	£22,908	£8,999	—	£166,453
2014-15	171	£113,197	£15,008	£23,157	£7,366	—	£158,728
2015-16	148	£122,408	£17,425	£24,748	£7,917	—	£172,498
2016-17	153	£127,455	£13,329	£26,351	£7,105	—	£174,240
2017-18	135	£131,550	£15,200	£25,813	£6,675	£76	£179,314
2018-19	122	£135,025	£13,994	£26,426	£11,684	—	£187,129
2019-20	143	£140,445	£15,142	£23,926	£8,751	—	£188,264
2020-21	117	£163,506	£21,109	£27,725	£3,093	—	£215,433
2021-22	86	£183,097	£26,820	£22,773	£6,165	£31	£238,885
2022-23	144	£184,785	£30,495	£40,301	£9,920	—	£265,500
2023-24	134	£198,335	£28,317	£23,301	£11,474	—	£261,427
2024-25	128	£235,221	£38,986	£22,551	£15,138	£520	£312,417
2025-26	32	£3,154	£11,177	£2,398	—	—	£16,729

A year in which Catherine McKinnell joined or left the House part-way through is a part year, and is not comparable with a full one.

What each category is made of, 2010-11

The cost types IPSA records inside each heading, largest first by what it paid.

Staffing

Cost type	Claims	Paid
Payroll	1	£89,020
Professional Services (Staff.)	2	£3,174
Pooled Staffing Services	1	£1,200
Food & Drink Intern/Volunteer	14	£56

Office costs

Cost type	Claims	Paid
Const Office Rent	13	£5,589
Stationery Purchase	30	£2,879
Computer SW Purchase	1	£2,516
Other	24	£1,429
Office Furniture Purchase	4	£1,342
Payment Telephone/Mobile	6	£919

Accommodation

Cost type	Claims	Paid
Accommodation Rent	26	£19,723
Council Tax	1	£718
Interim Hotel London Area	2	£520
Water	1	£405
Service Charges	2	£323
Television Licence	1	£146

Travel

Cost type	Claims	Paid
Aggregated Travel Costs	1	£10,117

Largest claims, 2010-11

The 15 rows IPSA paid most against, with IPSA’s own description of each. Read the description before the amount: IPSA publishes most of a member’s staffing as one row for the whole year — “Total Staffing budget payroll costs for the ⟨year⟩ year” — so the largest row here is usually a year of wages for the member’s employees and not something bought.

Date	Category	Cost type	Description	Claimed	Paid
31 March 2011	Staffing	Payroll	Total payroll costs for the 2010-11 year	£89,020	£89,020
31 March 2011	Travel	Aggregated Travel Costs	Aggregated figure for travel during 2010-11	£10,117	£10,117
15 November 2010	Office Costs	Computer SW Purchase	Office equipment	£2,516	£2,516
1 February 2011	Staffing	Professional Services (Staff.)	Staffing (apprentice)	£1,932	£1,932
24 November 2010	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,688	£1,688
30 March 2011	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,668	£1,668
26 January 2011	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,668	£1,668
17 March 2011	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	[***] rent Feb March	£1,450	£1,450
17 February 2011	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	[***] rent Feb March	£1,450	£1,450
27 October 2010	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,450	£1,450
8 September 2010	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	Rent 1/10-31/10	£1,450	£1,450
2 August 2010	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	[***] Sept rent / elec	£1,450	£1,450
2 July 2010	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	[***] 24/05-31/08	£1,450	£1,450
30 June 2010	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	[***] 24/05-31/08	£1,450	£1,450
17 May 2010	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	[***] 24/05-31/08	£1,450	£1,450

What this page does not show

Whether any of it was justified. IPSA accepted these claims under its own rules and the register records what was paid, not whether it should have been. A large total is not a finding about the member.

Nor how Catherine McKinnell compares with another member. After staffing the largest headings are accommodation and travel, and both are decided mostly by where a constituency is: a member several hundred miles from Westminster is eligible for costs a member with a London seat is not. Two members’ totals are two sets of rules as much as two sets of choices, and the length of service differs too.

It is also not pay. IPSA sets and publishes MPs’ salaries separately and they are not in this register; the staffing figure here is the salaries of the member’s employees.

All MPs’ business costs · Catherine McKinnell’s register of interests and votes · Sources