Damian lives approximately 80 miles from London. We know that like many others across our district he could take the High Speed One to London and do the daily commute but he doesn’t. When you look at his expenses by distance from Parliament, (constituency office to Parliament) he is the fourth most expensive MP in the country, since 2010. The three above him live in Rochdale, Northern Ireland and Tyne and Wear.
Damian’s travel expenses he is entitled to claim are as follows for 2010 – to present the source is IPSA ; which some MP’s believe means I’m Paid Sod All.
On Average Damian charges the taxpayer £5100 yearly, or nearly £100 every week for travel
Damian has a flat in London, known as his second home, so he can be close to Parliament. We the taxpayer pay Damian’s rent and if one excludes office rent and security, Damian comes in as NO 1 for all Kent MP’s at a total cost of £144,138, so an average yearly cost of £24,023 or to put it another way £461 weekly.
In these rent costs MP’s are allowed to charge the taxpayer for the following: (Accommodation Rent takes up 88% of all costs) – see below
Would you like someone to pay your TV licence, your water bill, your gas bill, your phone bill? Of course you would.
Our MP, Damian Collins bills the taxpayer for accommodation, ground rent and water only and is still Kent’s No 1 mostexpensive MP
Is Damian Collins MP value for money? He is not a minister. He is not in the Cabinet. He is Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee. He was re-elected on the 19th Oct 2016 beating Helen Grant – a fellow Kent MP – who he pipped in the Council Tax chart by just £9.
Does Damian need to live in London? Could he commute like many other ordinary people? Yes, there would be times he needed to stay in London, because Parliament sat late, and that would be legitimate. Is he value for money presently, as he comes No 1 across a lot of charts and graphs for Kent MP’s, what do you think?
It is not so much what Damian can claim that we should be looking out for; it’s what he feels entitled to claim. What does that £144,138.45 represent?
Damian is entitled to claim and he does, but just because you are entitled to do something doesn’t mean you have to do it, does it? We are quite sure Damian, with his working wife, are not poor. There are people struggling across Shepway, the just-about-managings, the greys without pounds,, the key workers and many others, who’d love their water bill and rent to be paid for by the taxpayer. Who wouldn’t.
So with all that we know about Damian, the question is, is he best value for money or could he do better. We don’t know, but if you want to ask him you can contact him on/at
Parliament – House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA. Tel: 020 7219 7072
