MPs’ business costs

Monica Harding

IPSA paid £235,762 against 146 published rows for Monica Harding between 2024-25 and 2025-26 as the member for Esher and Walton 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, 2024-25 to 2025-26

146 claims, £235,762 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.15£193,04681.9%
Office costsRenting and running a constituency office: rent, utilities, equipment, stationery and postage.128£42,38618.0%
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.3£3300.1%

Every year in the register

Monica Harding’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 costsTravelTotal
2024-25110£193,046£32,346£330£225,723
2025-2636£10,039£10,039

A year in which Monica Harding 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£172,019
Bought-in services9£14,900
Pooled staffing services1£4,900
Training - staff4£1,227

Office costs

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs15£10,750
Rent10£10,213
Stationery & printing37£5,016
Software & applications19£4,765
Bought-in services2£3,600
Equipment - purchase6£2,834

Travel

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Other public transport1£318
Subsistence1£9
Parking1£3

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£172,019£172,019
16 August 2024StaffingPooled staffing servicesParliamentary Support Team (Liberal Democrat)£4,900£4,900
31 March 2025StaffingBought-in servicesComms & Media£3,100£3,100
19 March 2025StaffingBought-in servicesComms & Media£3,100£3,100
31 October 2024Office CostsRentTenancy began 30/09/2024, [***]£2,925£2,925
22 May 2025Office CostsBought-in servicesComms & Media£2,800£2,800
31 January 2025StaffingBought-in servicesComms & Media£2,300£2,300
10 February 2025Office CostsMaintenance, Redecorations & RepairsInstallation of opening and fixed window between front office and back office£2,052£2,052
10 February 2025Office CostsMaintenance, Redecorations & RepairsErection of new partition wall and door£2,028£2,028
11 November 2024StaffingBought-in servicesProfessional & consultancy£1,800£1,800
10 February 2025Office CostsMaintenance, Redecorations & RepairsPainting walls, ceiling and woodwork in middle office£1,608£1,608
11 November 2024Office CostsRent[***] – October, November & December Rent£1,599£1,599
21 June 2025Office CostsSoftware & applicationsELECTED TECHNOLOGIES£1,476£1,476
10 February 2025Office CostsMaintenance, Redecorations & RepairsPainting walls, ceiling and woodwork in back office£1,368£1,368
5 November 2024StaffingBought-in servicesComms & Media£1,200£1,200

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 Monica Harding 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 · Monica Harding’s register of interests and votes · Sources