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 Darlington MP Peter Gibson's register 

These are the latest figures from the register for the Conservative MP for Darlington, Peter Gibson from Monday, November 1.

Mr Gibson is paid hundreds for consultancy work

Mr Gibson is contracted to provide advice and consultancy services to Darlington-based, Clark Willis LLP Law Firm on an "ad hoc" basis.

He has received hundreds in payments for his consultancy work throughout the year with the following payments made.

- December 21, 2020, he received £250 for five hours work to the firm.

- July 14, 2021, he received £200 for four hours work to the firm.

- August 27, 2021, he received £90 for 1 hour and 48 minutes work to the firm.

- October 15, 2021, he received £85 for 1 hour and 42 minutes work to the firm.

There is also an entry that £175 is expected for 1 hour and 25 minutes of work between March 26 and 30, 2021.

Thousands of pounds have been paid to support Mr Gibson

There are entries which show six donations were made via the "local party organisation or central party organisation" relating to Mr Gibson's register. 

An amount of £4,000 was paid by Dukehill Services Ltd, registered at T J Richardson & Sons Ltd, 100 Dudley Road East in Oldbury on September 29, 2021.

An amount of £2,500 was paid by Morgan Crest Ltd, registered at The Old Grange Warren Estate, Lordship Road, Writtle in Chelmsford on September 29, 2021.

An amount of £3,000 was paid again by Morgan Crest Ltd, registered at The Old Grange Warren Estate, Lordship Road, Writtle in Chelmsford on September 29, 2021.

An amount of £3,000 was paid by IX Wireless Ltd, registered Unit 1, Lockside Office Park, Lockside Road in Preston on September 29, 2021.

An amount of £5,000 was paid by a private donor, Mr Lawrence Neil Tomlinson on September 29, 2021.

And another amount of £5,000 was paid again by a private donor named Andrew J Dawber on September 29, 2021.

There is one home of significant value on the register

The register says that Mr Gibson has a house in North Yorkshire, jointly owned with his civil partner, registered on January 10, 2020.

The home is listed as being worth more than £100,000 and/or yielding a rental income of more than £10,000 per year.

Mr Gibson has involvement in a lettings firm

The register also contains information of companies where an MP has more than a 15 percent issued share capital.

Mr Gibson is listed as a company director of Wedgwood Alexander Properties Ltd, which is based in York and defined as owning and letting of property.

Extra entries on the register

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

He is down as the Trustee of Thormanby United Charities, which supports residents of Thormanby who face personal hardship. Mr Gibson is a ‘volunteer unpaid’ director and trustee.

He is also a Trustee and Director of two hospices, Harrogate and District Hospice and Herriot Hospice Homecare. This is also volunteer and unpaid role which Mr Gibson says he has held for more than a decade. 

Mr Gibson is still a practising solicitor registered on the roll, while he is Trustee Deputy, Attorney and Executor of many trusts, estates and individuals' affairs accumulated through my professional role as a solicitor. 

What Peter Gibson had to say

Speaking to The Northern Echo, Mr Gibson said: “My register of interests is accurate and up to date.

"As a qualified Solicitor with a current practising certificate I perform a small amount of administrative work in relation to powers of attorney, estates, deputyships that I have been appointed to over my legal career.

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

"All earnings from this work is reported and detailed in the register.”

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