MPs’ business costs

Sir Julian Smith

IPSA paid £2,690,912 against 1,784 published rows for Sir Julian Smith between 2010-11 and 2025-26 as the member for Skipton and Ripon CC. 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 to 2025-26

1,784 claims, £2,690,912 paid. The headings are IPSA’s own categories grouped; the categories inside each are named on the register page.

CategoryWhat it coversClaimsPaidShare
StaffingThe 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.17£2,302,36785.6%
Office costsRenting and running a constituency office: rent, utilities, equipment, stationery and postage.1,466£241,8979.0%
AccommodationThe 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.240£29,0411.1%
TravelJourneys 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.54£114,9974.3%
MiscellaneousClaims IPSA records under none of the headings above. Called “Miscellaneous Expenses” until 2018-19.7£2,6100.1%

Every year in the register

Sir Julian Smith’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.

YearClaimsStaffingOffice costsAccommodationTravelMiscellaneousTotal
2010-1150£85,933£7,449£3,788£97,170
2011-1274£118,172£11,453£7,903£137,528
2012-13159£131,119£16,030£7,478£154,626
2013-14168£141,194£17,581£10,234£169,009
2014-15116£141,413£15,059£13,326£169,799
2015-16117£134,280£20,211£9,112£163,603
2016-17112£134,236£14,015£1,255£10,979£160,485
2017-18123£137,386£12,813£3,161£6,731£160,092
2018-19117£150,386£15,563£2,375£4,903£303£173,531
2019-20139£151,776£12,499£2,596£3,226£175£170,272
2020-21153£184,998£20,461£2,315£3,288£211,062
2021-2282£191,637£13,997£2,270£5,724£213,629
2022-2398£184,586£15,337£2,766£9,271£211,960
2023-2487£191,164£13,982£2,540£6,468£214,154
2024-25127£224,087£19,162£3,845£12,565£259,659
2025-2662£16,286£5,916£2,132£24,334

A year in which Sir Julian Smith 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 to 2025-26

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

Staffing

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Payroll15£2,295,357
Pooled Staffing Services1£3,878
Pooled staffing services1£3,133

Office costs

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Rent41£43,938
Const Office Rent34£34,403
Stationery Purchase396£33,147
Professional Services: Direct7£21,962
Stationery & printing275£21,338
Pooled staffing services6£17,579

Accommodation

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Council tax64£13,018
Insurance - buildings43£5,074
Utilities30£3,747
Council Tax24£3,732
Buildings Insurance25£1,344
Telephone Usage/Rental27£517

Travel

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Aggregated Travel Costs9£74,454
Rail25£36,649
Parking9£1,696
Railcard1£858
Hotel - UK Not London3£689
Mileage - car6£641

Miscellaneous

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Council tax5£2,132
Removal Costs - Contingency1£303
Removals1£175

Largest claims, 2010-11 to 2025-26

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.

DateCategoryCost typeDescriptionClaimedPaid
31 March 2025StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2024-25 year£224,087£224,087
31 March 2022StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2021-22 year£191,637£191,637
31 March 2024StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2023-24 year£191,164£191,164
31 March 2021StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2020-21 year£184,998£184,998
31 March 2023StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2022-23 year£184,586£184,586
31 March 2019StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2018-19 year£150,386£150,386
31 March 2020StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2019-20 year£148,643£148,643
31 March 2015StaffingPayrollTotal payroll costs for the 2014-15 year£141,413£141,413
31 March 2014StaffingPayrollTotal payroll costs for the 2013-14 year£141,194£141,194
31 March 2018StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2017-18 year£137,386£137,386
31 March 2016StaffingPayrollTotal payroll costs for the 2015-16 year£134,280£134,280
31 March 2017StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2016-17 year£134,236£134,236
31 March 2013StaffingPayrollTotal payroll costs for the 2012-13 year£131,119£131,119
31 March 2012StaffingPayrollTotal payroll costs for the 2011-12 year£118,172£118,172
31 March 2011StaffingPayrollTotal payroll costs for the 2010-11 year£82,055£82,055

Claims refused and money repaid, 2010-11 to 2025-26

5 claims carry an amount IPSA did not pay or an amount repaid to it: £0 not paid and £1,677 repaid. A refusal is not a finding of wrongdoing — most are claims outside the scheme’s rules, or submitted without the evidence IPSA requires — and it is shown because leaving it out would show only the money that went out.

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 Sir Julian Smith 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 · Sir Julian Smith’s register of interests and votes · Sources