Accommodation budget and spare bedrooms

Request

How were the Accommodation Expenditure budget limits for MPs calculated? What reference was made to the number of bedrooms and the number of spare rooms or spare bedrooms? What reforms are being considered to limit or restrict spare bedrooms?

Response

IPSA holds the information that you request.

Please find attached, in Annex A, a detailed breakdown of how the Accommodation Expenditure budget limits were originally calculated in 2010.  This produced, at the time, a total rental accommodation budget of £19,900 in London in 2010.

The budgets have since been uplifted slightly to reflect increases in costs. The current budget for accommodation in the London Area is £20,100. The other bands have been increased proportionately.

As you will note, the rental accommodation budget limit is based on our assessment of the cost of a one bedroom property.  As such, IPSA does not have any further plans to limit the number of bedrooms.

Ref:
F1314-215
Disclosure:
4 February 2014
Categories:
UNDEROCCUPANCY PENALTY
Exemptions Applied: