Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely's expenses were £40,000 above the average in 2019-20, it has been revealed.

Mr Seely's total expenditure for the year was £197,358.61, well above the MP average of £157,747.

Members of Parliament, including the Isle of Wight's MP have had their 2019-20 expenses published by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA).

The financial year, which ran from April 2019 to the end of March 2020, showed Mr Seely having office costs of £21,972.33, with £148,163.81 spent on staffing, £15,416.48 on accommodation and £11,805.99 on travel expenses.

A total expenditure of £197,358.61.

To date, the 2020-21 accounts for the Island's MP show office costs of £8,632.46, accommodation £6,197.96 and travel expenses of £3,653.61, a total of £18,484.03.

Although staffing costs are not visible at this stage, it is anticipated the figure will be considerably lower than the previous year as a result of less travel and accommodation related expense.

The Isle of Wight is the largest constituency in the UK and generally has higher expenses than the average.Isle of Wight County Press: Isle of Wight MP, Bob Seely, has expenses of more than £197,000 in 2019-20.Isle of Wight MP, Bob Seely, has expenses of more than £197,000 in 2019-20.

Mr Seely said: "I and my team are aware we spend public money, so when we can save some we will do so.

"Almost all letters are sent by email which lowers our postage costs and we are now doing less travelling.

"Surgeries online mean no costs of hiring venues and we are trying not to put in for petty expenses.

"We do have a bit more money for staff wages as we have more staff (this year), in part to help deal with Covid."

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THE total cost of MPs across the board was up 6.47 percent last year to £127.6 million,

The average cost of an MP was £157,747 in the 2019-20 financial year, which included expenses claims for travel and food of around £6,903 for each member of parliament.

A further £718,733 was spent on hotel claims as part of the MPs’ accommodation budget.

The current speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, is Britain’s most expensive sitting MP. Last year his total business costs were £259,057, including £21,431 on travel and subsistence.

The least expensive MP was Kim Johnson, elected last year for Liverpool Riverside, with total costs of just £7,392 up to April 2020.

Health secretary Matt Hancock was the most expensive MP in the cabinet, with total costs of £225,305. This was compared to £174,454 for prime minister Boris Johnson and £164,545 for Sir Keir Starmer.

Isle of Wight County Press: Health Secretary Matt HancockHealth Secretary Matt Hancock
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Outside of the speaker, the most expensive sitting MP was Lisa Cameron, spending £256,040. 

Expenses for travel and subsistence claims cost the taxpayer a total of £5,584,790 in 2019-20, an average of £6,903 for each member of parliament. 

A total of £718,733 was spent on hotel claims as part of the MPs’ accommodation budget last year. 

The average wind-up costs for an MP leaving parliament was £54,438.