One in ten MPs also sits on a local council, ITV News can reveal

ITV News Political Correspondent Harry Horton looks at the number of MPs facing criticism for staying on as councillors. Words by Senior Politics Producer, Maya Bowles

Nearly one in ten MPs are also currently working as local councillors, with many still getting paid to do so, new ITV News analysis has found.

Of the 650 MPs in Parliament, 62 have stayed on in their councillor jobs since the general election last year, prompting questions whether it's possible to do both jobs simultaneously to a good standard.

ITV News analysis shows that of the MPs whose councillor attendance record is public, over half have 50% or less attendance at council meetings since 4th July. On top of that, 20% have more than one council role.

Many of those MPs with council positions have said they plan to give up their council role at the next local elections and warn any early elections triggered by them standing down are costly for the taxpayer.

Despite previously promising to ban all second jobs, the Labour government has rowed back on that pledge - instead focusing on closing loopholes that allowed politicians to do paid advisory work or consultancy.

In the years leading up to the election, Labour made their pledge to ban second jobs for MPs a core part of their offering to the public - promising change from what they called "Tory sleaze". In 2021, Starmer pledged in a speech to "ban all second jobs for MPs, with very limited exceptions".

There is currently a committee looking into whether the ban on some second jobs should be extended, but ITV News understands councillor jobs aren’t specifically being looked at.

A number of councillors even have more than one council role - Nottinghamshire Labour MPs Michael Payne and Michelle Welsh both sit across two councils, while Labour Forest of Dean MP Matt Bishop also has two council jobs, South West Norfolk's Labour MP Terry Jermy has three.

Among the Lib Dems with more than one council job are Freddie Van Mierlo, Lee Dillon and Sarah Gibson.

While others have a council seat in a totally different area to the one they represent as an MP - Labour’s Jim Dickson is the MP for Dartford but sits on Lambeth Council.

The Labour rulebook states that when Labour MPs are elected to parliament they have to give their local council seats “on a date agreed with the Commons Chief Whip and General Secretary.”

It also states the date "shall be agreed within one month of election to the House of Commons, and the date shall take account of local circumstances."

At Labour conference this year - that rule was extended to also include mayors, police and crime commissioners, and other roles.

Labour have told ITV News all their MPs have agreed a date to stand down from their council roles, but for most that won't be until May, or even later.

Councillors are paid around £12,000 a year in what’s called an “allowance” - it’s meant to help cover the cost of time spent on councillor work, rather than acting as a salary. Most councillors do their local council work alongside another job.

If councillors sit on committees, in the council’s cabinet, or act as the leader of the council - they get extra money, known as a special responsibility allowance. While most of the MPs who did have extra responsibilities have given them up, there are some who are still paid for additional roles.

Some of the highest paid MP councillors get over £20,000 for their council work - taking into account additional roles and positions across multiple councils.

Of the 62 MPs who are councillors, 30 are still receiving some kind of payment, on top of the £91,000 a year salary as an MP.

Angela Rayner: 'They will have to justify their ability to do both'

The majority have given up their allowance, either rejecting it entirely, donating it to charity, or giving a portion to the local party.

Since the general election on July 4th, many councillors who were elected as MPs have stood down..

But those who haven't say it's because if they stepped down it would trigger a by-election in their council seat, which costs extra money for already cash-strapped councils, and also means voter turnout is likely to be a lot lower.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said staying on as a councillor after the election was “a decision for individual MPs”, and “they will have to justify their ability to do both those jobs”.

But this isn’t just an issue for Labour - 26 of the 62 MPs who are still councillors are Liberal Democrats, that’s 40% of all their MPs.

"Some will find the two complement each other": Ed Davey

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said he won’t be asking his MPs to stand down, and doing both jobs can actually be positive for democracy: “I think people who are trying to suggest this is a bad thing don't really understand how important it is to be there with the people who elect you and to help them in every way you can.”

Davey said it’s up to individual MPs on what they do, “some will find that it's better for them to just focus on one issue, others will find that the two complement each other.”

Oxfordshire Council has two Liberal Democrat MPs who sit on the council - Calum Miller and Freddie Van Mierlo. While Miller’s attendance at meetings is 57%, Van Mierlo’s is far lower at 25%.

Conservative Councillor at Oxfordshire Council Liam Walker called for them to stand down, “they’ve been elected to do a job, by their constituents… If you’re not doing that then you’re not doing your job as a local councillor, so my view is they need to step aside and let someone else do it.”

ITV News spoke to Calum Miller after one of the council meetings, which he had attended. He told us “it is possible to combine the roles, it takes a bit of hard work, a bit of jetting around and rushing about.

“The critical thing is I think you can do it in a way that really represents constituents well”, he said.

While Labour and the Lib Dems dominate the list of MPs who are also councillors, the Conservatives also have six MPs who serve on local councils.

A Labour spokesperson gave this statement on behalf of Labour MPs in the East Midlands, including Michelle Welsh and Michael Payne: "Councillors whose wards are up for election in May will be stepping down at that point to avoid costly by-elections for the tax payer.

"They have all stepped back from any senior roles on their councils, and are no longer receiving their councillors' allowance."

ITV News has contacted Matt Bishop, Terry Jermy, Jim Dickson, and all the other MPs also working as councillors for comment.

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