We want to have an open and honest conversation on what democracy is worth to you, and get your views on how we should fund MPs’ parliamentary work. The recommendations made by the Citizens’ Forum will be presented to IPSA’s Board, which will consider them as part of their decision on how MPs’ pay and funding should be set from 2026 onwards.
Citizens’ Forum on MPs’ pay and funding
IPSA is responsible for setting MPs’ pay and provides MPs with the funding they need to run their office. We are independent of Parliament and Government, which means we make these decisions ourselves, without interference.
By law, we are required to review MPs’ salaries early in a new Parliament. Earlier this year, as an interim measure to allow us to properly engage the public, we decided to increase the salary of an MP by 2.8% for the 2025-26 financial year, in line with government recommendations for public sector workers.
When we review the way we set MPs’ pay and funding, we usually hold a public consultation and gather views from across wider civil society. We also consider a range of metrics, including national statistics on pay and reward in the public sector, our own core principles, and the wider economic context. This includes our principle of reflecting the experience of the wider working population where possible.
We want to engage the public more, as part of our objective to support trust in democracy. We know people care about our democracy, but we also know trust in democracy remains low, while levels of abuse and intimidation towards candidates and MPs are rising.
Citizens' Forum
In September, we will be bringing together a small group of people from all walks of life in the UK who will participate in a Citizens’ Forum on the future of MPs’ pay and how their parliamentary work is funded.
As well as the Forum, we will also engage with the public online and through interested groups to undertake the most ambitious listening exercise since we were created in 2010.
The Citizens’ Forum is part of a wider mechanism by which IPSA is consulting on the funding of MPs and their offices, which includes input from academics, journalists, and other experts under the theme of What’s Democracy Worth.
The recommendations made by the Citizens’ Forum will be presented to IPSA’s Board, who will consider them as part of their decision on how MPs’ pay, and funding should be set from 2026 onwards.
In the next weeks, 10,000 households across the UK will receive a letter inviting them to take part. If you have received this letter, please see some useful information below.
Have you received a letter from IPSA and New Citizen Project?
If your household has received a letter, someone at your address could be invited to join a Citizens’ Forum on how Members of Parliament (MPs) are paid and funded.
You could be one of 25 people from across the UK taking part.
You do not need any special knowledge or interest in politics. We are looking for people with open minds, who are willing to listen and share their views.
You will:
Learn about how MPs are funded and what being an MP, and working for an MP, is like
Hear from expert speakers on topics related to the way parliamentary work is funded
Take part in small group discussions and come to a conclusion
IPSA has commissioned the Forum and will use the recommendations
New Citizen Project is an organisation which specialises in participation strategy and design and has been commissioned by IPSA to design and deliver the Citizens' Forum. They have run a number of deliberative democracy projects including RSPCA’s Citizens’ Assembly on the Future of Animal Welfare. They also designed the overarching RAPID Democracy framework for the People’s Plan for Nature, a pioneering deliberative project commissioned by RSPB, National Trust and WWF in 2022.
The Sortition Foundation will be running the participants’ recruitment process. It is a not-for-profit organisation, that specialise in recruiting for these kinds of events. They select people by lottery, in a way that is representative of the wider population. 10,000 addresses in the UK will receive a letter inviting them to take part in the Forum.
If you are selected, you will attend four online sessions in September 2025. The details of the sessions are available in the letter you have received. The sessions will be accessible and jargon-free. You will receive support throughout, including help with technology, if needed.
If your household has received a letter, most people aged 18 or over who live at that address can register.
Only one person per household will be selected.
Who can’t register and apply?
The following people are not eligible to apply: elected representatives at any level of government; paid employees of any political party; council employees in politically restricted posts; employees of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority or the House of Commons; MPs, their staff, spouses, and any relatives.
The details to register are available on the letter. Please follow the instructions if you have received the letter and do not email IPSA to register.
The deadline to register is Sunday 20 July 2025.