Bassetlaw MP John Mann defends £177,000 expenses claims

The opening of the new Gringley on the Hill Community Centre on West Wells Lane. Pictured is John Mann MP who opened the new centre.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) published the data on Thursday, September 10.

The Labour MP spent £138,231.99 on staffing, £20,666.53 on office costs, £10,751.20 on accommodation and £60.00 on miscellaneous expenses.

Mr Mann said: “I was the first MP to call for there to be openness and transparency with MPs’ expenses. I welcome that this information is published and that it is easy to access and view.”

Mr Mann came under fire from some social media users following the publication of the data, causing Independent Retford councillor Ian Campbell and Manton councillor Josie Potts to defend him.

He added: “My home is in Bassetlaw and I have always rented a room in an ex-council flat in London for the nights that I have to stay down there. Whilst this keeps these costs as low as possible, the London overpriced housing market means rents are very high.

“I have one of the busiest MPs offices in the country dealing with over 2,000 new cases on behalf of Bassetlaw residents every year plus about 1,000 ongoing ones which can be complex and detailed. The recent child abuse scandal has increased this workload and this has placed an additional burden on my staff. I employ six staff members.”

During 2013-2014, Mr Mann made £169,210 in claims, nearly £8,000 less than this year, including £126,979.60 on staffing and £24,762.35 in office costs.

IPSA chief executive, Marcial Boo, said: “Our regular publications include every single penny claimed by MPs, so that taxpayers and voters can see for themselves how their money is spent and gain assurance that Ipsa is scrutinising MPs’ expenditure on their behalf.”