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Sharon Bowles MEP |
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Sharon Bowles MEP |
It is important for MEPs to be as transparent as possible when it comes to how we spend the public money we claim in the course of fulfilling our duties. Below I have detailed how much money I've claimed over the past year in the course of the work I do as an MEP for the South East, and how I've spent it.
My accounts are prepared and certified by Harts Chartered Accountants of 3 Churchgates, Church Lane, Berkhamsted HP4 2UB.
Salaries
MEPs receive salaries under the new Member's Statute. When this was introduced it was similar to an MP's salary, but is currently higher due to the relative devaluation of Sterling. The UK requires MEPs to pay a top up tax because the Community tax rate is less that the UK rate.
I employ three full time staff in Brussels, and three full time, one part time, staff members in the UK. Brussels based staff handle legislative work and directly related press. UK staff handle constituency work, correspondence, press and literature.
I do not and have never employed a member of my family.
The details of current staff (and vacancies if any), along with where they are located, are under the 'contact details' section of my website.
Basic salaries are in a range of £18,000 to £35,000 per annum depending upon experience. Expenses for necessary travel and accommodation are paid in addition.
I am a member of the European Parliament's voluntary pension scheme.
All my UK staff are paid via an independent paying agent, Janet Hart, a professional book-keeper running a wages bureau, who obtains the necessary funds from the European Parliament on a monthly basis, remits tax and national insurance and completes an annual return to the European Parliament. My Brussels staff are paid directly by the European Parliament.
You can read my declarations of financial interest for each year in the Download resources area of this website.
The individual yearly breakdown of figures can be misleading as to true general expenditure. Several large costs may be incurred (or not) in any given year and may only be needed once per mandate (eg large IT purchases, or office repairs). The below figures hopefully give a better view of the monies actually spent by Sharon on General Expenditure over the Parliament.
It should be noted that Sharon provides a rent-free office for her MEP work, and does not put aside any monies year by year against possible future needs (eg she does not pay into any office maintenance savings funds or similar), instead only paying out when the work or purchase is completed.
The yearly breakdowns follow below if those are of interest to you.
Expenses (in £) for this Parliament:
General Expenditure
Allowance received: £41,822
The general expenditure allowance supports my UK offices, incidentals for the Brussels office (postage, stationery) and travel in the UK. A typical outline of how this is spent by budget lines is below. General expenditure receipts for all items worth in excess of £25 are ready for inspection when necessary.
Expenses (in £) for 2012:
A breakdown of these figures and details of further expenditure, prepared and certified by Harts Chartered Accountants, can be found in the Expenses 2010 folder in the Download Area.
General Expenditure
Allowance received: £45,600
The general expenditure allowance supports my UK offices, incidentals for the Brussels office (postage, stationery) and travel in the UK. A typical outline of how this is spent by budget lines is below. General expenditure receipts for all items worth in excess of £25 are ready for inspection when necessary.
Expenses (in £) for 2011:
A breakdown of these figures and details of further expenditure, prepared and certified by Harts Chartered Accountants, can be found in the Expenses 2011 folder in the Download Area.
Expenses paid to Sharon Bowles in 2011
The following is a statement of expenses paid during 2011. The information is provided by the Parliament's Directorate-General for Finance. Please note that the European Parliament regards this information as highly confidential. As a matter of routine it is not provided to the MEPs concerned, rather an individual application has to be made to obtain it.
A scan of the original document from the European Parliament confirming these figures can be found in the Expenses 2011 folder in the Download Area.
General Expenditure
Allowance received: £43,543
The general expenditure allowance supports my UK offices, incidentals for the Brussels office (postage, stationery) and travel in the UK. A typical outline of how this is spent by budget lines is below. General expenditure receipts for all items worth in excess of £25 are ready for inspection when necessary.
Expenses (in £) for 2010:
A breakdown of these figures and details of further expenditure, prepared and certified by Harts Chartered Accountants, can be found in the Expenses 2010 folder in the Download Area.
Expenses paid to Sharon Bowles in 2010
The following is a statement of expenses paid during 2010. The information is provided by the Parliament's Directorate-General for Finance. Please note that the European Parliament regards this information as highly confidential. As a matter of routine it is not provided to the MEPs concerned, rather an individual application has to be made to obtain it.
A scan of the original document from the European Parliament confirming these figures can be found in the Expenses 2010 folder in the Download Area.
General Expenditure
Allowance received: £42,270
The general expenditure allowance supports my UK offices, incidentals for the Brussels office (postage, stationery) and travel in the UK. A typical outline of how this is spent by budget lines is below. General expenditure receipts for all items worth in excess of £25 are ready for inspection when necessary.
Expenses (in £) for 2009:
A breakdown of these figures and details of further expenditure, prepared and certified by Harts Chartered Accountants, can be found in the Expenses 2009 folder in the Download Area.
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