MPs’ business costs

Sir Roger Gale

IPSA paid £2,678,238 against 2,113 published rows for Sir Roger Gale between 2010-11 and 2025-26 as the member for North Thanet CC, then Herne Bay and Sandwich 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

2,113 claims, £2,678,238 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.20£2,154,87880.5%
Office costsRenting and running a constituency office: rent, utilities, equipment, stationery and postage.1,692£347,15013.0%
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.351£98,6693.7%
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.47£77,4752.9%
MiscellaneousClaims IPSA records under none of the headings above. Called “Miscellaneous Expenses” until 2018-19.3£660.0%

Every year in the register

Sir Roger Gale’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
2010-11121£85,056£20,276£4,478£4,343£114,154
2011-12160£108,318£20,969£5,074£5,629£66£140,057
2012-13152£116,580£22,356£4,821£5,408£149,166
2013-14117£123,800£18,402£5,327£5,787£153,317
2014-15127£123,622£20,364£4,882£5,551£154,419
2015-16129£127,260£20,614£5,740£5,195£158,809
2016-17128£135,651£22,149£4,768£5,601£168,169
2017-18126£138,607£18,419£8,164£4,386£169,576
2018-19150£149,243£23,799£7,703£5,593£186,338
2019-20151£162,287£22,454£7,981£5,400£198,122
2020-21127£174,107£24,712£7,309£15£206,142
2021-22132£155,923£23,921£7,737£3,939£191,520
2022-23128£161,807£24,923£7,928£6,324£200,983
2023-24144£187,067£24,817£8,074£7,076£227,034
2024-25137£205,549£22,931£7,848£7,228£243,556
2025-2684£16,043£835£16,878

A year in which Sir Roger Gale 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£2,154,479
Health & welfare - staff3£222
Health and Welfare Costs1£177
MP Budget Overspend1£0

Office costs

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Const Office Rent25£63,106
Rent11£41,989
Const Office Tel. Usage/Rental300£34,522
Landline phone & internet - rental & usage154£29,819
Stationery Purchase158£22,058
Stationery & printing145£15,514

Accommodation

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Accommodation Rent107£43,972
Rent72£43,200
Utilities73£4,222
Council Tax9£2,581
Telephone Usage/Rental38£1,297
Gas19£1,261

Travel

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Aggregated Travel Costs9£47,493
Mileage - car13£18,394
Congestion charge & toll7£6,434
Air travel4£2,985
Other public transport4£796
Parking4£545

Miscellaneous

Cost typeClaimsPaid
Contingency3£66

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£205,549£205,549
31 March 2024StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2023-24 year£187,067£187,067
31 March 2021StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2020-21 year£174,107£174,107
31 March 2020StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2019-20 year£162,065£162,065
31 March 2023StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2022-23 year£161,807£161,807
31 March 2022StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2021-22 year£155,923£155,923
31 March 2019StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2018-19 year£149,066£149,066
31 March 2018StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2017-18 year£138,607£138,607
31 March 2017StaffingPayrollTotal Staffing budget payroll costs for the 2016-17 year£135,651£135,651
31 March 2016StaffingPayrollTotal payroll costs for the 2015-16 year£127,260£127,260
31 March 2014StaffingPayrollTotal payroll costs for the 2013-14 year£123,800£123,800
31 March 2015StaffingPayrollTotal payroll costs for the 2014-15 year£123,622£123,622
31 March 2013StaffingPayrollTotal payroll costs for the 2012-13 year£116,580£116,580
31 March 2012StaffingPayrollTotal payroll costs for the 2011-12 year£108,318£108,318
31 March 2011StaffingPayrollTotal payroll costs for the 2010-11 year£85,056£85,056

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

18 claims carry an amount IPSA did not pay or an amount repaid to it: £219 not paid and £8,010 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 Sir Roger Gale 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 Roger Gale’s register of interests and votes · Sources