The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) has launched an informal consultation on MPs’ pay.
The informal consultation was launched on 2 May on the IPSA’s website. It includes background information on MPs’ pay and pensions, a public poll and a blog by IPSA chair Ian Kennedy.
The consultation stated: “As we get our review underway to find a long-term, sustainable solution, we are aware of the strong and often polar views that people have.
“We have already heard opinions ranging from ‘MPs should receive no salary – it is a privilege to do the job’ to ‘MPs should earn an annual wage of £250,000 to reflect the importance of their role’.
“We will be using this website to provide information and host discussions and debates about what an MP should earn, whether they should get a resettlement payment and what pension they should receive.”
Read more articles on consultations on pay
Perhaps an MP’s remuneration should be based on the average national wage, with standard allowances being made to cover the cost of running their constituent offices (this standard allowance should also reflect the location of said office – obviously more expensive to run in the south).
If they had to live within these means they might be able to relate to their constituents. They should make their own arrangements for a pension – as we all do. After all, an MP’s job is not one for life, is it?
I agree with Lynn Harris – if MP’s were paid an average national wage they just might get some idea of how the majority of households in this Country are struggling. Their constituents have had to cope with pay freezes and in some cases pay cuts, huge increases in fuel, heat and light, insurance premiums and general household bills. I would like to see them make the choice of how do I find the money to replace my child’s shoes, pay for a school expense or give my children an occasional treat. MP’s are not in the same world as the majority of their constituents.