SALISBURY’S MP John Glen claimed £122,773 in expenses in the year 2010-11.
His constituency office and staffing expenses totalled £102,266, according to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.
He claimed £16,124 for accommodation and £4,382 for travel.
The figure for accommodation covers the rent on a two-bedroom flat in Westminster. Until June Mr Glen rented a one-bed flat in Kennington but he told the Journal that because he has two stepchildren he has since been allowed two bedrooms.
The MP has a mortgage on another flat in London, but Parliamentary rules do not allow him to use that and claim for his mortgage, so he rents it out.
His wife Emma and two stepchildren, William and Emily, are still living in Wallingford, Oxfordshire but will be moving to Salisbury next summer when 12-year-old William finishes prep school, to minimise disruption to the family.
Mr Glen said: “At that point I will definitely be moving to Salisbury and the children will both be educated locally.”
At present when he is in the constituency, he said, he tends to stay with friends or sleeps in his office. “Initially I did rent a house in Gigant Street, but I couldn’t afford to keep that going.”
He said he has driven 28,000 miles in the past 15 months, shuttling between Salisbury and Oxfordshire, to make sure he fulfils his obligations to his constituents and his family. “I don’t think anyone who has seen my commitment will think I have sold Salisbury short,” he said.
Dr Andrew Murrison, the South West Wiltshire MP, claimed a total of £76,003. That included £71,398 for constituency office and staffing expenses, £1,671 for accommodation and £2,933 for travel.
Claire Perry, the Devizes MP whose constituency includes Tidworth and Ludgershall, claimed £104,987. She claimed nothing for accommodation but £103,814 for her constituency office and staffing and £1,173 for travel.
