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What if regional pay rates applied to MPs?

A thought experiment for the Treasury team.

By Helen Lewis Published 18 March 2012 13:17

Over at his blog, A View from Ham Common, Richard Morris asks:

Just to double check - these proposals that Public Servants from the poorest parts of the country should earn less than those from richer parts do apply to MPs, don't they?

Of course it's just a thought experiment -- MPs work in London for most of the week -- but still, as @zelostreet points out, it could be interesting to see the MPs for Sheffield Hallam, Tatton, and Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey explain the point to their constituents.

Currently, MPs in London constituencies get an extra £7,500 - which they voted up 157%, from £2,916, in the Commons in July 2008. But there's no difference in pay to take into account that, say, house prices in Witney, Oxfordshire, average £253,905 while in the Highlands, the average house price is £156,966.

More from Helen Lewis

View the discussion thread.

13 comments

Mon, 2012-03-19 14:43 — iainburnshill

Let's go further and apply a weighting to reflect what individual MPs might earn in the private sector, say by comparison with the last annual salary they earned before elevation to the Great Trough. Some would be better off, but others on the bread line!

Sun, 2012-03-18 17:32 — Freeman2

MPs should pay us for letting them have the job - given the directorships or public sector/voluntary sector sinecures so many of them get when they finish. See it as an investment.

Sun, 2012-03-18 20:21 — Salop_Ian

Good question.

Might the same also apply not just to MPs, but also to cabinet and other government ministers.

Is it the case that by offering high wages to parlimentarians and government ministers you are actually encouraging the most talented people not to go into business but into public service. Surely that does the economy down.

Sun, 2012-03-18 20:43 — Martin L (not verified)

Actually Helen - this scheme is brilliant because it will force people out of the public sector including me. As a life long tory voter -they will not get my vote. I will not however, vote labour - I just will not vote. I went into the public sector (army, health) for stability - i may as well leave and work for myself.

I live in the country - public transport is none existant and running our cars costs a fortune. they have even added VAT on toll charges now !

A disgusted civil servant who can no longer bear to vote tory

Sun, 2012-03-18 13:32 — Mizar (not verified)

Rules don't apply to the regime.

Mon, 2012-03-19 22:06 — Flashbuck (not verified)

It's about time public so-called got in line wit the real worls so this announcement about regionalising they pay is very welcome and overdue.

But what's really needed for public so-called workers is to get their pay linked to productivity - ha ha ha ha imagine how little so-called teachers & NHS third world nurses would be taking home if that happened ha ha ha ha.

Mon, 2012-03-19 22:08 — Flashbuck (not verified)

It's about time public so-called workers got in line with the real world so this announcement about regionalising their pay is very welcome and overdue.

Mon, 2012-03-19 05:33 — Steve Lockett (not verified)

Martin L, don't come on here as a lifelong tory whining about getting exactly what you voted repeatedly for! Running our carS costs a fortune - priceless!

Sun, 2012-03-18 14:36 — Will Hinch (not verified)

Check out my blog for some irreverent current affairs waffle
http://hinchysdailydose.blogspot.co.uk/

Sun, 2012-03-18 14:51 — Richard Morris (not verified)

Thanks Helen

While it IS just a thought - one way around the "But I work in London' line would be to look at where MPs have chosen to designate their 'main' home as opposed to their second home for expenses purposes.....

Mon, 2012-03-26 10:06 — Chrisd1979 (not verified)

In my experience most of my peers who work in the private sector earn more than I do despite the fact that in order to achive my postition I required significantly more training and academic qualifications. I have never felt that I would be paid less in the private sector, quite the opposite, however this was offset by the stability that was afforded by the public sector.

I worry that by regionalising pay you will make certain areas of the country very undesirable for workers. Where I work in Leeds my pay already is insufficient in relation to the cost of housing in the area.

Also with the advent of AQP for healthcare it is likely that private providers will become more desirable employers moving the best staff out of the NHS. Perhaps this is part of the plan to privatise healthcare?

Mon, 2012-03-19 12:36 — Paul Hillyard (not verified)

Martin L

Typical Tory, voted in his own interest but when it goes against decides to abstain.

I don't believe a word of it, you'll still vote for your betters in 2015, you just can't resist it.

Thu, 2012-03-22 01:13 — Fraziel1

Flashbuck, your comments revela you as an ignorant arsehole. " so-called workers". What exactly does that mean? I am a publis sector worker and i work bloody hard for little reward. I resent right wing nut troll arseholes like you coming on and implying i don't work hard. It will keep poor areas poor and hugely damage communities that are not affluent. Try telling a civil servant, whose wages averaged 18k last year, that they deserve regional pay after 7 YEARS of poor or non existent pay rises. You really are an ignorant ill informed wanker.