MPs’ business costs

Sir Alan Campbell

IPSA paid £2,428,632 against 2,207 published rows for Sir Alan Campbell between 2010-11 and 2025-26 as the member for Tynemouth 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, 2011-12

129 claims, £118,446 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.5£80,25267.8%
Office costsRenting and running a constituency office: rent, utilities, equipment, stationery and postage.103£19,66016.6%
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.19£4,7994.1%
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.1£13,51611.4%
MiscellaneousClaims IPSA records under none of the headings above. Called “Miscellaneous Expenses” until 2018-19.1£2180.2%

Every year in the register

Sir Alan Campbell’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
2010-1191£64,139£14,001£4,386£9,819£92,345
2011-12129£80,252£19,660£4,799£13,516£218£118,446
2012-13135£78,130£22,130£5,015£12,944£118,219
2013-14141£82,529£23,327£5,104£13,548£124,508
2014-15141£91,350£20,909£5,470£15,039£132,768
2015-16141£104,926£22,162£5,157£16,189£148,433
2016-17161£107,238£22,505£3,899£15,462£149,104
2017-18137£113,864£19,177£7,247£7,363£147,651
2018-19160£133,437£22,398£5,089£11,809£172,733
2019-20160£135,795£21,178£4,424£11,921£173,319
2020-21135£154,524£17,999£5,410£6,384£184,316
2021-22138£158,711£20,275£5,480£7,217£191,682
2022-23163£169,014£21,950£5,957£10,198£207,118
2023-24160£172,423£22,222£6,330£12,457£220£213,653
2024-25145£184,079£25,111£14,204£6,855£230,249
2025-2670£21,236£2,851£24,087

A year in which Sir Alan Campbell 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, 2011-12

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

Staffing

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Payroll1£75,452
Pooled Staffing Services4£4,800

Office costs

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Const Office Rent11£7,333
Const Office Electricity12£1,352
Professional Services17£1,177
Other8£1,031
Mobile Usage/Rental8£855
Photocopier Hire8£846

Accommodation

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Service Charges2£2,505
Council Tax10£1,359
Electricity5£420
Buildings Insurance1£415
Ground Rent1£100

Travel

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Aggregated Travel Costs1£13,516

Miscellaneous

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Contingency1£218

Largest claims, 2011-12

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 2012StaffingPayrollTotal payroll costs for the 2011-12 year£75,452£75,452
31 March 2012TravelAggregated Travel CostsAggregated figure for travel during 2011-12£13,516£13,516
10 January 2012AccommodationService Charges2012 - Service Charge£1,296£1,296
21 June 2011AccommodationService Charges2011 - Imp Ct Serv Charge£1,209£1,209
13 January 2012StaffingPooled Staffing Services2012 - PRS Jan-Mar£1,200£1,200
1 November 2011StaffingPooled Staffing Services2011 - PRS Oct - Dec£1,200£1,200
23 August 2011StaffingPooled Staffing Services2011 - PRS - Aug£1,200£1,200
9 May 2011StaffingPooled Staffing Services2011 - PRS£1,200£1,200
10 February 2012Office CostsOther2012 - Wk 6£849£849
21 October 2011Office CostsConst Office Buildings Insur.2011 - Build Ins post stationa£673£673
1 March 2012Office CostsConst Office Rent2012 - Feb£667£667
1 February 2012Office CostsConst Office Rent2012 - Feb wk 5£667£667
3 January 2012Office CostsConst Office Rent2012 - Jan office costs£667£667
2 December 2011Office CostsConst Office Rent2011 - Dec Misc£667£667
1 November 2011Office CostsConst Office Rent2011 - Nov office rent£667£667

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 Alan Campbell 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 Alan Campbell’s register of interests and votes · Sources