Worthing and Shoreham MP expenses cost anger

Mr Loughton, MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, has claimed £6,219.12 since May.

The expenses were published on the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) website.

Arundel and South Downs MP Nick Herbert was among 78 MPs who have not made any expense claims since the new government was formed.

Worthing West MP Peter Bottomley claimed £2,547.01.

Commenting on the expenses, Mr Loughton said the figures were “academic at the moment” as the IPSA has only recently been set up.

The breakdown of Mr Loughton’s expenses was – rent, £2,739.77, council tax, £113, electricity, £30.37, general admin (other) £54.49, mobile telephone, £221.34, postage, £9.97, stationery, £299.83, pooled staffing services, £2,408.75, travel £341.60.

The breakdown of Mr Bottomley’s expenses was: stationery, £138.26, pooled staffing services, £2,408.75.

A spokesman for the IPSA said: “This is the first of what will be proactive and routine publication of MPs’ expenses every two months.”

The IPSA was set up in the wake of the expenses scandal to try to restore faith in the way MPs expenses were run.

MPs, however, have criticised the complexity of the scheme.

Mr Loughton said the new IPSA would cost “four or five times more” than the old system.

“The new system is extremely inefficient and is costing a fortune more to run than the previous system did,” he said.

“It is not a very good use of tax-payers’ money, but it is what they wanted.”

In total, MPs have claimed £3,154,182.29 since May.

The biggest single expense claim of just over £9,000 was made by Siobhain McDonagh, Labour MP for Mitcham and Morden.

The biggest total claim was made by Conservative MP Keith Simpson, who claimed a total of £20,752.