WORCESTERSHIRE MPs cost the taxpayer a total of £500,327.56 in the latest financial year, new figures reveal.

All of the county MPs costs were below the average for other members of parliament elected before December 2019, of £188,295.

Figures from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority show that West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin's total business costs for the 2019-20 financial year were £160,976.08.

Worcester MP Robin Walker's costs for the year were £160,842.29, and Mid Worcestershire MP Nigel Huddleston's were the highest with £178,509.19.

Mrs Baldwin spent £153,033.86 on office running costs in 2019-20, including £131,968.29 on staff wages and £21,065.57 on other office expenditures.

The West Worcestershire MP spent £2,158.82 of her accommodation budget (of £5,270), and a further £5,783.40 on travel and subsistence.

Mrs Baldwin said: “I want to thank my team who have worked flat out this year while requests for help from constituents have gone up so sharply. I am glad that the Worcester News recognises that almost all these costs reflect the staffing budget and I will always try to have the right level of staffing to support my constituents who are facing so many challenges at the moment.”

Mr Huddleston spent £146,087.89 on office running costs in 2019-20, including £136,969.25 on staff wages and £9,118.64 on other office expenditures.

The Mid Worcestershire MP spent £27,508.05 of his accommodation budget (of £33,790), and a further £4,913.25 on travel and subsistence.

Mr Huddleston said:“In order to carry out my duties as an MP I incur costs to run an office and to live in two different locations. The bulk of what are sometimes somewhat misleadingly called ‘MPs expenses’ are expenditures on staff salaries, office equipment and stationery etc.

"My staff deliver outstanding value for money and I am proud of their work and truly appreciate the hours they put in, particularly given the significant increase in the volume of queries and casework during the pandemic.

"All of them could go off and get a higher paid and less stressful job elsewhere, so I particularly appreciate their loyalty and commitment to me and my constituents. I and my team are always conscious that we are spending taxpayers money and are extremely careful about how we spend every penny.

"The other key category of costs is to enable me to travel to and from London when parliament is sitting and for accommodation. I usually drive or take the train into London on Sunday, stay in a flat near parliament, and return to the constituency again on Thursday evening. As is normal practice relating to business travel in the private sector, I expense most (but not all) of my costs relating to travel and accommodation, including some travel within the constituency.

"My expenses and costs are made available for the public to see on the IPSA website and I think it is important for all politicians to be both careful and transparent about how they use taxpayers money. While my expenses may be lower than most MPs I do respectfully suggest caution when comparing the expenses of MPs.

"Distance from London, size of the constituency, rental costs in different parts of the country, balance of staff between London and the constituency, and family circumstances all drive the relative costs of MPs and it would be wrong to directly compare the costs of one MP against another without considering these and other factors.”

Robin Walker spent £146,452.08 on office running costs in 2019-20, including £135,347.85 on staff wages and £11,104.23 on other office expenditures.

He said: “I take very seriously my responsibility to use taxpayers’ money carefully and I have always striven to run my office as efficiently as possible.

"The vast majority of my so-called expenses relate to employment costs of my small team of staff and the costs of running my offices in Worcester and Westminster. Staff wages have increased this year following the instruction of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) which is why the cost of my office has increased, but non-staff costs were actually lower for 2019-20 than the previous year.

"I continue to work closely with my team to ensure that only legitimate business expenses are claimed for and to reduce costs wherever possible whilst providing the strongest possible service to my constituents. I appreciate that many other MPs with larger constituencies will have higher travel costs but I am glad never to have had to claim for hotel accommodation or food.”