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The ballooning cost of politicians and their entourages was laid bare today.
An army of 29,000 politicians and their helpers is now on the public payroll - at a cost of almost half a billion pounds.
They include MPs, councillors, MEPs and members of the Scottish parliament, the Welsh and Northern Ireland assemblies plus all their staff.
Research for a BBC documentary estimated their total cost ran to more than £485million in 2007/8. It fuelled a debate over whether the political parties are using the state payroll to obtain funding by the back door.
"This is a vast bill that I think a lot of people will find extremely shocking," said Mark Wallace of the Taxpayers' Alliance, which campaigns against wasteful spending.
"People don't mind paying a reasonable amount for good work, but they do mind this huge bill that has grown very quietly without them ever being consulted."
The bill for MPs, ministers and their Commons staff, their expenses and allowances, policy development grants and the official opposition party funding known as Short Money totalled £167million in 2007/8.
For the 22,737 councillors and their assistants, the cost of pay and allowances was £241million.
In the Lords, salaries, expenses and payments added up to £19.1million. The figure was £19million for the Scottish parliament, £10.3million for the Welsh assembly, £13.3million for Northern Ireland's and £5.4million for the London Mayor and Assembly.
Radio 4's The Political Club found MEP's salaries cost £4,821,960, but the European Parliament would not disclose the bill for its expenses.
Critics are unhappy that most political parties order elected representatives to pay into party funds out of cash they receive from the state payroll.
Reader views (2)
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- Ja Munemann, london
Has the cost of quangos been included?
- Joe, Camberley UK
