THE two Borders MPs cost the taxpayer around £500,000 last year, new figures reveal.

Data on business and staffing costs for the financial year 2020/21 has been published by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA).

And the figures show that Tweeddale representative David Mundell was the fourth most expensive MP in the UK, claiming £260,951.87 – up from £238,564.18 last year.

Mr Mundell, of the Conservatives, spent around £193,000 on staff wages, approximately £25,000 on rent, and around £7,600 on advertising and contact cards, according to the data.

Meanwhile, he paid out more than £5,500 on air travel, around £3,200 on stationery and printing, and approximately £2,200 on a working from home allowance.

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In response to the figures, Mr Mundell said: “The constituency I represent is one of the largest and most diverse in the whole United Kingdom, stretching from the Scottish border to the Pentland Hills south of Edinburgh, and covering three separate council areas and three separate NHS health boards.

“I try at all times to provide the best possible service to my constituents across the more than 100 individual communities which make up my constituency and this necessarily involves a level of expenditure that other MPs, representing smaller, less complex constituencies, are not required to incur.”

The Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale MP added: “COVID has made this all the more challenging, including expenditure on local newspaper advertising to help ensure constituents and businesses who have queries about how COVID regulations impact them, or how grants or other forms of support can be accessed, had my office contact details easily to hand.”

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According to the IPSA data, the average cost of an MP in the UK was £203,880.

The figures show that fellow Westminster representative for the region John Lamont claimed £239,895.96 in 2020/21.

Mr Lamont’s largest type of cost was around £165,100 on staff wages, followed by £28,000 on rent and £9,600 on bought-in services.

Meanwhile, the Conservative MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk spent approximately £9,400 on advertising and contact cards, just under £5,000 on air travel and around £1,700 on a working from home allowance.

Mr Lamont’s costs were up on the £218,563.69 recorded the year before.

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On the data, he said: “During the last year, we have seen an unprecedented 150 per cent increase in the number of enquiries and requests for help from local residents. This was mainly due to multiple lockdowns and the effects this had on people and businesses. My small team and I did our best to help everyone.

“To ensure that I could continue to respond in a timely and useful manner to constituents, whilst ensuring that my team could work safely and securely, there is an increase in staffing and office costs compared to the previous year.

“All of these expenses are declared and accounted for and can be seen in detail on the IPSA website.”

The average cost of an MP was up 29 per cent, from £158,103, in 2019-20.