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, 2017-18

135 claims, £179,314 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.	2	£131,550	73.4%
Office costs	Renting and running a constituency office: rent, utilities, equipment, stationery and postage.	101	£15,200	8.5%
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.	30	£25,813	14.4%
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	£6,675	3.7%
Miscellaneous	Claims IPSA records under none of the headings above. Called “Miscellaneous Expenses” until 2018-19.	1	£76	0.0%

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, 2017-18

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

Staffing

Cost type	Claims	Paid
Payroll	1	£126,750
Pooled Services: Direct	1	£4,800

Office costs

Cost type	Claims	Paid
Const Office Rent	13	£7,161
Install/Maint Office Equip.	22	£3,175
Const Office Tel. Usage/Rental	24	£1,687
Stationery Purchase	12	£1,597
Computer SW Purchase	3	£672
Website - Hosting	2	£175

Accommodation

Cost type	Claims	Paid
Accommodation Rent	13	£24,000
Council Tax	1	£688
Water	1	£452
Gas	3	£444
Telephone Usage/Rental	12	£228

Travel

Cost type	Claims	Paid
Aggregated Travel Costs	1	£6,675

Miscellaneous

Cost type	Claims	Paid
Contingency	1	£76

Largest claims, 2017-18

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 2018	Staffing	Payroll	Total Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2017-18 year	£126,750	£126,750
31 March 2018	Travel	Aggregated Travel Costs	Aggregated figure for travel during 2017-18	£6,675	£6,675
28 April 2017	Staffing	Pooled Services: Direct	PRS	£4,800	£4,800
9 February 2018	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£2,000	£2,000
9 January 2018	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£2,000	£2,000
11 December 2017	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£2,000	£2,000
9 November 2017	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£2,000	£2,000
9 October 2017	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£2,000	£2,000
13 September 2017	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£2,000	£2,000
10 August 2017	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£2,000	£2,000
12 July 2017	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£2,000	£2,000
11 June 2017	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£2,000	£2,000
11 May 2017	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£2,000	£2,000
11 April 2017	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£2,000	£2,000
1 April 2017	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,052	£1,052

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