MPs claim £50k in expenses for a year
HOW much Thanet's two MPs claim in expenses from the taxpayer has been revealed.
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) published the latest report last week.
Office costs were the biggest expense for the isle's Conservative parliamentarians.
Thanet South's Laura Sandys spent almost £18,000 on her administration including £4,500 on stationery and £4,000 in rent.
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Meanwhile, in Thanet North, Sir Roger Gale claimed more than £12,000 for office expenses.
Among the spending was £3,500 for rent and £1,500 for photocopier hire.
Travel is another major expenditure with Sir Roger claiming £3,876 for travel and Mrs Sandys receiving £1,780.
She defended her travel costs, saying it would be impossible to cover her patch, which includes several villages in the Dover district, on public transport.
She said: "It would be impossible for me to do what I do on public transport and I do need a car to get from one place to another. On a Friday and Saturday, I can have up to eight meetings per day."
Sir Roger spends £354 a month on the rental of a back room in a ground-floor flat in Tooting, South London.
A fellow Conservative MP slammed the Ipsa as expensive and ineffective, describing the £6.5 million cost of the body as "outrageous".
Andrew Griffiths, MP for Burton and Uttoxeter, refuses to claim any expenses to underline his opposition to the watchdog.
Mrs Sandys agrees that savings should be made and is a member of the scrutiny panel that looks at the cost of Ipsa.
The Thanet South MP said: "They have delivered significant cost reductions over the last few years but they most certainly can do more. We are pushing them to administer the scheme for less."
Sir Roger was also been very critical of the Ipsa from its inception, describing it on his website as "a model of overpowering bureaucracy and arrogant management that makes the excesses of Yes Minister look positively efficient".
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