THE four MPs who represent the Barnsley area claimed £34,000 in expenses in the first three months after the general election, figures reveal.
They are the first expenses figures released since the system for claims changed following the expenses’ scandal.
Their claims were:
•Angela Smith, Penistone and Stocksbridge: £15,343.60
•Michael Dugher, Barnsley East: £8,266.13
•John Healey, Wentworth and Dearne: £6,954.77
•Eric Illsley, Barnsley Central: £,3,517.09
Barnsley Central MP Eric Illsley is due to stand trial in January on charges of expenses fraud relating to claims made under the old system. But in the latest figures he is the area’s lowest claimer. He denied he was trying to ‘make a point’ by claiming so little.
More in the Chronicle, Friday, December 10.
