MPs’ business costs

Kerry McCarthy

IPSA paid £3,148,089 against 2,595 published rows for Kerry McCarthy between 2010-11 and 2025-26 as the member for Bristol East 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, 2018-19

128 claims, £201,458 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.	1	£151,429	75.2%
Office costs	Renting and running a constituency office: rent, utilities, equipment, stationery and postage.	108	£25,029	12.4%
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.	15	£21,025	10.4%
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	£3,461	1.7%
Miscellaneous	Claims IPSA records under none of the headings above. Called “Miscellaneous Expenses” until 2018-19.	3	£513	0.3%

Every year in the register

Kerry McCarthy’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	288	£93,388	£13,561	£15,851	£2,844	—	£125,644
2011-12	335	£113,374	£16,112	£19,227	£3,202	—	£151,916
2012-13	329	£136,949	£18,856	£22,095	£4,810	—	£182,711
2013-14	291	£131,680	£20,708	£20,100	£3,234	—	£175,722
2014-15	226	£138,138	£18,098	£20,491	£3,928	—	£180,655
2015-16	120	£140,000	£22,849	£19,000	£5,981	£942	£188,772
2016-17	96	£140,187	£19,407	£16,431	£4,203	—	£180,228
2017-18	132	£148,722	£23,603	£22,421	£4,278	—	£199,024
2018-19	128	£151,429	£25,029	£21,025	£3,461	£513	£201,458
2019-20	129	£150,344	£24,564	£24,966	£4,622	—	£204,497
2020-21	90	£180,291	£24,704	£17,875	£2,465	£3,414	£228,750
2021-22	84	£190,433	£27,136	£21,076	£5,098	—	£243,743
2022-23	107	£214,538	£27,203	£25,360	£4,550	£240	£271,891
2023-24	114	£234,582	£29,712	£27,772	£4,584	—	£296,649
2024-25	79	£249,069	£26,940	£26,146	£5,833	—	£307,988
2025-26	47	—	£5,717	£2,573	—	£150	£8,440

A year in which Kerry McCarthy 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, 2018-19

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

Staffing

Cost type	Claims	Paid
Payroll	1	£151,429

Office costs

Cost type	Claims	Paid
Const Office Rent	17	£12,278
Professional Services: Direct	1	£4,800
IT/Other Equipment Hire	8	£1,994
Stationery Purchase	9	£1,737
Const Office Tel. Usage/Rental	16	£1,164
Computer SW Purchase	13	£1,053

Accommodation

Cost type	Claims	Paid
Accommodation Rent	13	£19,500
Council Tax	1	£1,172
Water	1	£353

Travel

Cost type	Claims	Paid
Aggregated Travel Costs	1	£3,461

Miscellaneous

Cost type	Claims	Paid
Removal Costs - Contingency	3	£513

Largest claims, 2018-19

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 2019	Staffing	Payroll	Total Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2018-19 year	£151,429	£151,429
1 April 2018	Office Costs	Professional Services: Direct	PRS	£4,800	£4,800
31 March 2019	Travel	Aggregated Travel Costs	Aggregated figure for travel during 2018-19	£3,461	£3,461
14 February 2019	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,625	£1,625
9 January 2019	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,625	£1,625
6 December 2018	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,625	£1,625
8 November 2018	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,625	£1,625
6 October 2018	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,625	£1,625
6 September 2018	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,625	£1,625
8 August 2018	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,625	£1,625
11 July 2018	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,625	£1,625
12 June 2018	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,625	£1,625
9 May 2018	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,625	£1,625
9 April 2018	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,625	£1,625
18 March 2019	Accommodation	Council Tax	March Payment Card	£1,172	£1,172

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 Kerry McCarthy 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 · Kerry McCarthy’s register of interests and votes · Sources