MPs’ business costs

Kevin McKenna

IPSA paid £203,287 against 399 published rows for Kevin McKenna between 2024-25 and 2025-26 as the member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey 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, 2024-25 to 2025-26

399 claims, £203,287 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.13£139,81768.8%
Office costsRenting and running a constituency office: rent, utilities, equipment, stationery and postage.342£40,64520.0%
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.34£20,36910.0%
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.10£2,4561.2%

Every year in the register

Kevin McKenna’s own years, not the register’s: the first is 2024-25 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 costsAccommodationTravelTotal
2024-25320£139,817£16,957£18,025£2,456£177,255
2025-2679£23,688£2,344£26,032

A year in which Kevin McKenna 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, 2024-25 to 2025-26

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

Staffing

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Payroll1£137,146
Training - staff11£2,452
Working From Home Allowance1£219

Office costs

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Stationery & printing227£6,694
Equipment - purchase12£6,154
Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs5£5,843
Software & applications20£5,247
Bought-in services3£4,800
Pooled staffing services1£3,000

Accommodation

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Rent7£11,581
Hotel - London9£5,306
Council tax2£2,427
Utilities16£1,055

Travel

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Rail3£1,871
Mileage - car2£343
Hotel - UK Not London1£184
Subsistence2£33
Parking2£26

Largest claims, 2024-25 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£137,146£137,146
20 February 2025Office CostsMaintenance, Redecorations & RepairsShop fit out for the new premsies£3,763£3,763
3 October 2024Office CostsPooled staffing servicesParliamentary Research Service (Labour)£3,000£3,000
24 March 2025Office CostsEquipment - purchaseOther office equipment£2,520£2,520
1 April 2025AccommodationRent£2,301£2,301
4 March 2025AccommodationRent£2,301£2,301
30 January 2025AccommodationRent£2,301£2,301
30 December 2024AccommodationRent£2,301£2,301
3 December 2024AccommodationRent£2,301£2,301
18 November 2024AccommodationRentFirst month´s rent on my London flat, [***] [***] [***] Subsequent months will be paid directly by IPSA, this was paid by me from my own bank account.£2,301£2,301
24 March 2025Office CostsEquipment - purchaseOffice furniture£2,262£2,262
7 April 2025AccommodationCouncil taxLONDON BOROUGH OF LAMB£1,737£1,737
31 March 2025Staff TravelRailAggregated figure for travel during 2024-25£1,692£1,692
22 December 2025Office CostsBought-in servicesProfessional & consultancy£1,600£1,600
22 October 2025Office CostsBought-in servicesProfessional & consultancy£1,600£1,600

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 Kevin McKenna 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 · Kevin McKenna’s register of interests and votes · Sources