For the majority of people who live in Guildford, the town’s proximity to London is a big part of the appeal. Guildford itself lies just over an hour away from the capital, meaning that people can make it there and back in the same day.
It is with that in mind that many were disappointed to learn about the fact that numerous Surrey MPs have together spent thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money on hotels to stay the night in London, whilst others have claimed rent to stay in the city. They are not breaking the rules, but it has still left many constituents feeling unimpressed.
Which MPs Have Spent Money & How Much Have They Spent?
Although everyone has a political allegiance, a topic such as the perceived waste of taxpayers’ money is something that feels entirely apolitical. That is why many, regardless of their party of choice, will feel aggrieved by the news that several MPs representing constituencies in Surrey have spent so much money staying in the city when they live so close to the capital, relatively speaking. Here is a look at what the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has shown as being expenses claims made by some MPs in the area:
| Who? | How Much? | What For? |
|---|---|---|
| Zöe Franklin – MP for Guildford | £3,919.42 | 18 nights in London hotels, staying around twice a month between September 2024 and April 2025 |
| Dr Al Pinkerton – MP for Surrey Heath | £4,543 | 22 hotel stays between September 2024 and April 2025, including four nights in October that cost £780 alone |
| Will Forster – MP for Woking | £367.84 | Two-nights in February following a trip to Ukraine for Parliament |
| Greg Stafford – MP for Farnham & Bordon | £9,592.52 | Accommodation in London over a period of five months |
Why It Feels Like Such a Big Deal
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The fact is that Members of Parliament are there to represent their constituents and will feel as though staying in a hotel every now and then in order to be as fit and raring to go as possible is a small price to pay. Constituents, meanwhile, will no doubt feel aggrieved that politicians are able to get the general public to effectively pay for their time in hotels and rental properties when the constituents themselves do the same commute every day without taxpayer money to help. Similarly, regular residents of Surrey towns can’t just stay in a hotel if they end up working late.
Both Guildford and Woking, the towns that Zöe Franklin and Will Forster represent, respectively, are about an hour outside of central London when travelling by train. Surrey Heath, meanwhile, is a little under two hours away from the capital. These are commutes that people make every day, as is the one hour and 25 minutes that Greg Stafford would have to drive to make it from his office in Farnham and Bordon to London each day. That regular workers don’t get such a generous fee for their own accommodation is why many see this as something of a slap in the face.
It Is Entirely Allowed
Although the idea of a politician using public money to pay for their overnight stays in London might be something that sits uneasily for many, the reality is that it is allowed according to the rules that are put in place around the issue. The rules state that MPs can claim expenses on either renting a property and paying for its associated utility bills or on pay for hotel stays up to a total of £31,800 per year. The important factor is that they are staying on ‘Westminster business’. A spokesperson for Franklin said that her stays came after ‘late night sittings in Parliament’.
The spokesperson also pointed out that Franklin was claiming her hotel stays ‘in line with IPSA guidance’. What makes it difficult for many to accept, though, is the fact that other Surrey-based MPs decide not to make such claims. Jeremy Hunt, for example, is the Member of Parliament for Godalming and Ash, owning a London property but not claiming rent expenses for it. The same is true for Claire Coutinho, who is the MP for Tandridge and hasn’t chosen to claim rent expenses nor hotel expenses. It shows constituents that it can be done, but some choose not to do so.
Is It Financially Sensible?
Anyone who has ever even considered getting on the property ladder in London will know only too well that the prices in the capital are excessive at best. With that in mind, more than a few of the politicians that live within commuting distance of the capital might well believe that it makes much more sense to pay for a hotel stay for a few nights than to rent or buy a house in London and claim on that. The spokesperson for Dr Al Pinkerton pointed this out, saying,
Rather than renting a permanent flat, he has chosen to use hotel accommodation on an occasional basis, for example, when late-night votes or early morning meetings make commuting impractical.
The spokesperson also made the point that Dr Pinkerton’s decision-making on that front allows him to be flexible and ensure that costs are kept as low as possible. Staying in a hotel on occasion does, the spokesperson said, ensure that he is ‘present and fully engaged’. When Will Forster stayed in a hotel in the February of 2025, he did so having returned from Ukraine as part of a delegation that went there to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of the country, which resulted in a debate on the issue going on ‘late into the evening’ the following day.