MPs' council tax expense claims rise after councils allowed to charge premiums on second homes

Members of Parliament have increased claims for council tax reimbursements after a law change allowed local councils in England to levy higher charges on second homes, official expense data show.

Publicly available records from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) indicate a number of MPs have billed taxpayers larger sums for council tax this financial year compared with 2024/25. The rise follows legislation giving local authorities the power to charge a council tax premium of up to 100% on second homes from 1 April this year.

IPSA records show Labour MP Ed Miliband billed £3,285.90 in council tax for a property in his Doncaster North constituency for 2025/26, more than double the £1,576.42 he claimed for 2024/25. Hilary Benn is recorded as claiming around £430 in council tax for a property in both April and May of this year. Conservative MP Andrew Murrison claimed £2,486.44 in council tax for a Westminster property for 2025/26, compared with £1,189.42 for 2024/25. Dame Harriett Baldwin, chair of the Commons Treasury Select Committee, claimed £5,455.70 in council tax for 2025/26, up from £2,602.73 the previous year.

Baldwin told The Times she had been paying two council tax bills since her election in 2010 and had always claimed reimbursement from IPSA for her constituency home. She said the council had doubled the council tax this year, that she had requested an exemption and that the request was refused.

An IPSA spokesman said the authority provides funding so MPs can work from two places: Westminster and their constituencies, and that reimbursements are intended to ensure the role is not limited to those wealthy enough to fund two properties. The spokesman said IPSA reimburses costs for one home per MP, which must be either in their constituency or in London, and that strict budgets are in place.

The power for English councils to levy higher council tax on second homes was included in legislation passed by the previous Conservative government in October 2023. Then-levelling up secretary Michael Gove said the change would help address what he called the “scourge” of empty second homes and bring life back to communities.

Critics say the policy redistributes housing costs and can distort local markets. Andy Fenner, chief executive of the Short Term Accommodation Association, said MPs’ expense claims had insulated them from the effects of the second‑home premium and that this risked deepening a sense of unfairness for communities and businesses that rely on tourism. "If MPs themselves are insulated from the impact of these charges, it only deepens the sense of unfairness for communities and businesses that rely on tourism," he said.

Elliot Keck of the Taxpayers' Alliance described the premium as "one of the most unjustifiable and punitive policies passed in recent years," saying some MPs who advocated for the measure were avoiding the charge by claiming reimbursement from taxpayers.

IPSA publishes MPs’ expense records regularly, and the authority’s rules allow claims for accommodation-related costs including hotels, rental payments and associated costs such as council tax when MPs own their property and represent constituencies outside London. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by any MPs in the published records.

The rise in claims has added to the wider debate over how to balance efforts to free up housing and support local communities with the financial impact on homeowners and businesses in areas dependent on second‑home markets. Records released by IPSA will continue to be a touchstone for public scrutiny as councils apply the new powers and MPs adjust to the revised charges.