STANDARDS in public life have come under intense scrutiny in the last fortnight, leaving public confidence at an all-time low.

Many MPs have second jobs, with some, like Sir Geoffrey Cox coining in vast sums on top of their already high salaries.

Freebies, cash for answering questions and donations from the private sector are also the source of deep concern.

FULL LIST: The North East MPs raking in thousands in donations and second jobs

This week, The Northern Echo lifts the lid on where MPs in our region get their income as part of our The Money Trail investigation tracing the cash behind our MPs.

We tracked the cash trail using the Register of Members' Financial Interests, and while there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing, there are some surprising results.

We're publishing the records held for every MP in the North East and North Yorkshire to help you understand how your politician compares.

What exactly is on the register

There are ten main categories on the register, which is maintained and updated by the Parliamentary for Commissioner for Standards, and require an MP to declare, where appropriate.

MPs in England must declare additional paid employment (second jobs), donations, gifts, hospitality and any homes where the value is more than £100,000 and/or provides rental income of more than £10,000 a year.

They must also declare any shares they have which amount to more than 15 percent of the issues share capital of that company or more than 15 percent of a partnership, while they must declare any shares valued more than £70,000.

When it comes to family, MPs are required to declare whether any members are employed and receive more than £700 in a calendar year as this comes from taxpayers' money (parliamentary expenses).

MPs are also required to declare the details of any family members involved in "lobbying," which is when an individual tries to persuade someone in Parliament to support a specific policy or campaign.

What's on Sedgefield MP Paul Howell's register

These are the latest figures from the register for the Sedgefield Conservative MP, Paul Howell as of Monday, November 1.

He received thousands when he was a councillor

The Sedgefield MP received allowances of £13,300 per year, paid montly for around ten hours work a month as a Councillor at Durham County Council until March 31, 2020.

He also received allowances of £682.33 a month for around ten hours of work a month as a councillor at Darlington Borough Council until March 31, 2020. 

A donation of £2,500 was linked to Mr Howell

There is one entry which show a donation was linked to the MP but made to the "local party organisation or central party organisation."

An amount of £2,500 to a local association from IX Wireless Ltd of Lockside Office Park in Preston was registered on August 3, 2021.

He has interests in 16 properties - including nine in Darlington

Mr Howell is recorded as having two flats in County Durham, five houses in Durham and nine houses in Darlington, which have a value of more than £100,000 and/or give a rental income of more than £10,000 a year. Mr Howell says collectively all these properties give a rental income between £10,000 and £20,000.

Extra entries on the register 

Mr Howell has the following entries recorded as miscellaneous, which include declarations of involvement in local businesses where they may not receive an income.

From March 30, 2020, a Director of the Policy Research Unit, a not-for-profit pooled research service which assists Conservative MPs with their Parliamentary duties. This is an unpaid role. 

Since April 1, 2020, Mr Howell said he has received no allowances from Darlington Borough Council or Durham County Council relating to his former role as councillor.

From November 24, 2020 until further notice, he is an unpaid Director of the Northern Research Group Ltd, a shared services company for northern MPs.

The Northern Echo approached Paul Howell for comment.

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