Independent figures show Westmorland and Lonsdale’s MP has clocked up over £200,000 in expense claims despite missing four out of every ten votes held in Parliament in the last year.
The figures, compiled by parliament’s independent expenses watchdog and The Public Whip, show that Tim Farron has again topped the charts as the most expensive MP in Cumbria despite attending fewer votes than all but one of Cumbria’s six MPs.
At the end of last year, the Westmorland and Lonsdale MP was lampooned for missing a close Brexit vote so he could deliver a speech in Dorset to a religious conference.
Commenting, South Lakeland councillor Tom Harvey, said: “I am not one of those people who disparage the work of MPs. I know most work hard for their constituents, but when our MP is ranked amongst the lowest for votes attended in parliament and the highest when it comes to claiming expenses the public have a right to ask whether they’re getting value for money.
“We need an MP who will be in there, fighting for us, when the votes and decisions affecting our area are taken, not simply shouting from the side-lines.”
