MPs’ business costs

Sir Nicholas Dakin

IPSA paid £2,053,714 against 2,750 published rows for Sir Nicholas Dakin between 2010-11 and 2025-26 as the member for Scunthorpe 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, 2015-16

185 claims, £181,276 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.	36	£129,029	71.2%
Office costs	Renting and running a constituency office: rent, utilities, equipment, stationery and postage.	108	£23,348	12.9%
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.	39	£20,569	11.3%
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	£8,065	4.4%
Miscellaneous	Claims IPSA records under none of the headings above. Called “Miscellaneous Expenses” until 2018-19.	1	£264	0.1%

Every year in the register

Sir Nicholas Dakin’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	Starting up and winding up	Miscellaneous	Total
2010-11	130	£84,153	£17,543	£15,334	£7,352	—	—	£124,382
2011-12	337	£107,414	£20,704	£21,305	£9,398	—	£90	£158,910
2012-13	404	£135,927	£21,449	£20,595	£12,427	—	—	£190,399
2013-14	219	£126,084	£21,496	£20,088	£10,430	—	—	£178,098
2014-15	195	£134,296	£20,133	£20,600	£9,665	—	—	£184,695
2015-16	185	£129,029	£23,348	£20,569	£8,065	—	£264	£181,276
2016-17	238	£141,266	£23,265	£20,610	£9,310	—	—	£194,451
2017-18	263	£150,078	£24,418	£20,818	£10,380	—	—	£205,694
2018-19	300	£150,871	£24,783	£21,614	£10,181	—	—	£207,449
2019-20	192	£104,708	£11,962	£18,033	£4,881	£33,362	£28,588	£201,534
2020-21	3	—	—	£-3,756	—	—	£327	£-3,428
2024-25	201	£147,978	£30,038	£17,191	£13,167	—	—	£208,373
2025-26	83	£400	£18,395	£3,087	—	—	—	£21,882

A year in which Sir Nicholas Dakin 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, 2015-16

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

Staffing

Cost type	Claims	Paid
Payroll	1	£128,642
Public Tr RAIL Volunteer - SG	8	£211
Food & Drink Volunteer	21	£93
Public Tr RAIL Volunteer - RT	1	£59
Public Tr UND Volunteer	5	£24

Office costs

Cost type	Claims	Paid
Const Office Rent	5	£5,867
Professional Services: Direct	1	£4,800
Const Office Tel. Usage/Rental	20	£2,509
Stationery Purchase	8	£2,235
Furniture Purchase	3	£1,343
Computer SW Purchase	1	£1,000

Accommodation

Cost type	Claims	Paid
Accommodation Rent	13	£19,172
Council Tax	8	£603
Electricity	8	£492
Water	1	£431
Gas	7	£70
Budget Repayment (Accomm.)	2	£-200

Travel

Cost type	Claims	Paid
Aggregated Travel Costs	1	£8,065

Miscellaneous

Cost type	Claims	Paid
Removal Costs - Contingency	1	£264

Largest claims, 2015-16

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 2016	Staffing	Payroll	Total payroll costs for the 2015-16 year	£128,642	£128,642
31 March 2016	Travel	Aggregated Travel Costs	Aggregated figure for travel during 2015-16	£8,065	£8,065
30 June 2015	Office Costs	Professional Services: Direct	PRS	£4,800	£4,800
17 December 2015	Office Costs	Const Office Rent	—	£2,011	£2,011
24 September 2015	Office Costs	Const Office Rent	—	£2,011	£2,011
8 February 2016	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,613	£1,613
12 January 2016	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	[***]	£1,597	£1,597
11 December 2015	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	rent budget adjustment	£1,597	£1,597
10 November 2015	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,597	£1,597
8 October 2015	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,597	£1,597
10 September 2015	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,597	£1,597
11 August 2015	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,597	£1,597
16 July 2015	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,597	£1,597
16 June 2015	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,597	£1,597
13 May 2015	Accommodation	Accommodation Rent	—	£1,597	£1,597

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 Nicholas Dakin 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 Nicholas Dakin’s register of interests and votes · Sources