Information about accommodation claim by Jim McMahon, MP

I can confirm that we hold information relevant to your request. The £766.01 claimed under ‘Utility Costs’ was billable to the MP’s London accommodation.

MPs may claim utility costs for property registered with us. MPs who stay in rented accommodation can claim for running costs, including utility bills, subject to an overall budget cap. They cannot claim for bills for their private homes, or for things like mortgage payments.

The principle is that many MPs will need accommodation at a second location to carry out their parliamentary functions as an MP. MPs who need to travel to Westminster may claim for accommodation while they are in London, whether this is for renting a property or staying in an hotel (for which there is a cost cap). We believe this is fundamentally important for democracy: without sufficient funding, MPs would not be able to focus on the vital work of representing and supporting their constituents. There is also a risk that people without independent wealth or another source of income would be excluded from becoming MPs.

The rules governing what MPs may claim for are set out in The Scheme of MPs' Staffing and Business Costs. (the Scheme) Chapter 4 of the Scheme details the costs which may be claimed under Accommodation Expenditure. Rules for claiming costs associated with constituency offices are set out in Chapter 6.

You may also find some of our recent blog posts useful for further information on what MPs can claim for, and why:

• Why do MPs need an accommodation budget?

• MPs’ business costs aren’t expenses