North Wales MP claimed more than £2,500 to help pay for electricity and heating

A North Wales MP was among the Members of Parliament who claimed the most for their utility bills, such as electricity and heating, in the 2020-21 financial year.

Conservative MP Virginia Crosbie, who represents Ynys Môn at Westminster, claimed more than £2,600, figures published by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority show.

She is allowed to claim the cash as an MP who represents a seat outside London and can claim back an ‘accommodation budget,’ including rent and bills.

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If an MP owns the second property they cannot use the budget for mortgage payments or rent, but they can claim a proportion of utility costs.

According to the published figures, Virginia Crosbie claimed a total of £2,634.12 in utilities in 2020-21. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) confirmed that Mrs Crosbie voluntarily repaid the total amount claimed in 2002.

Claims for utility bills for the current financial year are not shown on the IPSA website.

She said: “I was living and working on Anglesey during the lockdown in 2020 with my husband and three children.

"My home is an old farmhouse. I stopped claiming for utilities at the beginning of the 2021 financial year."

No fewer than 316 MPs put in utilities claims in 2020-2021, with dozens claiming more than the average household’s dual fuel tariff of £1,138.

Analysis of data published by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) shows that claims for utilities totalled £262,454 in 2019-20, of which £206,717 was for gas, electricity and other types of fuel.

Mrs Crosbie was sixth on the list of top claimants. The largest total was claimed by Stuart Anderson, Conservative MP for Wolverhampton South West, at £3,598.

The nine other MPs representing North Wales constituencies claimed a total of £5,338.46 between them, an average of £593.16.

The two Plaid Cymru MPs, Liz Saville Roberts and Hywel Williams claimed £1,120.41 and £699.88 respectively.

The only Labour MP in North Wales, Alyn & Deeside's Mark Tami claimed £403.44.

Independent MP Rob Roberts (Delyn) claimed £822.05 while long serving MP David Jones (Clwyd West) claimed £173.36 for utility bills.

Tory MPs James Davies (Vale of Clwyd); Robin Millar (Aberconwy); Simon Baynes (Clwyd South) and Sarah Atherton (Wrexham), who were all elected for the first time in the 2019 General Election, claimed £376.49; £595.71, £633.96 and £513.16 respectively.

The figures are published every year by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

Last week Virginia Crosbie voted against a Labour motion calling on the UK Government to cut the rate of VAT for household energy bills.

• This article was updated on April 19 2024 to confirm that Mrs Crosbie voluntarily repaid the total amount claimed in February 2022.