MPs’ business costs

George Freeman

IPSA paid £2,981,516 against 2,869 published rows for George Freeman between 2010-11 and 2025-26 as the member for Mid Norfolk 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

2,869 claims, £2,981,516 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.308£2,340,23178.5%
Office costsRenting and running a constituency office: rent, utilities, equipment, stationery and postage.2,221£330,10411.1%
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.271£227,1617.6%
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.64£71,3972.4%
MiscellaneousClaims IPSA records under none of the headings above. Called “Miscellaneous Expenses” until 2018-19.5£12,6240.4%

Every year in the register

George Freeman’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
2010-11177£84,359£11,359£3,521£4,634£103,872
2011-12167£113,216£19,513£3,960£6,315£143,004
2012-13196£132,367£19,229£7,628£5,613£164,836
2013-14342£129,147£23,721£10,087£7,074£170,029
2014-15206£137,352£19,288£12,467£5,610£174,717
2015-16108£139,794£16,001£25,450£3,422£184,667
2016-17133£142,097£20,799£25,460£4,347£192,704
2017-18114£147,947£17,909£25,549£4,462£195,867
2018-19110£145,893£23,622£27,518£3,466£200,498
2019-20126£145,159£17,476£2,600£1,012£166,247
2020-21162£175,978£22,600£11,855£932£4,469£215,834
2021-22225£201,569£19,118£16,320£3,591£240,598
2022-23219£209,542£25,047£17,840£5,532£257,961
2023-24262£207,777£29,936£19,090£5,889£262,692
2024-25232£223,565£29,856£19,734£7,910£7,143£288,208
2025-2690£4,470£14,629£683£19,782

A year in which George Freeman 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£2,311,306
Bought-in services12£7,420
Pooled Services: Direct2£6,100
Pooled Services1£3,960
Pooled Staffing Services1£3,878
Public Tr UND Int/Volntr43£1,527

Office costs

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Rent63£41,505
Stationery Purchase444£39,772
Const Office Rent94£35,214
Stationery & printing343£23,753
Website hosting and design37£21,256
Pooled staffing services7£20,707

Accommodation

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Accommodation Rent44£113,123
Rent43£68,927
Hotel London Area76£24,835
Council tax10£8,905
Utilities42£3,578
Landline phone & internet - rental & usage44£2,456

Travel

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Aggregated Travel Costs9£44,944
Mileage - car27£17,641
Rail10£4,540
Hotel - London2£2,862
Hotel - UK Not London1£734
Congestion charge & toll3£245

Miscellaneous

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Bought-in services2£7,143
Utilities1£2,318
Council tax1£2,152
Insurance - buildings1£1,012

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£220,386£220,386
31 March 2023StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2022-23 year£209,334£209,334
31 March 2024StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2023-24 year£207,465£207,465
31 March 2022StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2021-22 year£201,569£201,569
31 March 2021StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2020-21 year£175,594£175,594
31 March 2018StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2017-18 year£147,947£147,947
31 March 2020StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2019-20 year£145,159£145,159
31 March 2019StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2018-19 year£142,799£142,799
31 March 2017StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2016-17 year£140,752£140,752
31 March 2016StaffingPayrollTotal payroll costs for the 2015-16 year£139,794£139,794
31 March 2015StaffingPayrollTotal payroll costs for the 2014-15 year£133,050£133,050
31 March 2013StaffingPayrollTotal payroll costs for the 2012-13 year£127,828£127,828
31 March 2014StaffingPayrollTotal payroll costs for the 2013-14 year£127,587£127,587
31 March 2012StaffingPayrollTotal payroll costs for the 2011-12 year£112,401£112,401
31 March 2011StaffingPayrollTotal payroll costs for the 2010-11 year£79,643£79,643

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

19 claims carry an amount IPSA did not pay or an amount repaid to it: £1,723 not paid and £2,136 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 George Freeman 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 · George Freeman’s register of interests and votes · Sources