I AM pleased to have the opportunity to set the record straight about my expenses, an issue raised by Dr Peter Williams (The Press, October 28).

Deducting the £30,000 of staff costs that have been misallocated brings me in line with other North Yorkshire MPs. My overall expenses including staffing are also in line with other local MPs who do not own their own home in London.

Since being elected to Parliament my claims have principally related to London accommodation and travel. I make no claims for food, utilities, council tax, cleaning, or constituency mileage and have no family employees and certainly no duck houses.

Of course, I don’t want to see children go hungry and I am in favour of providing more support for those hit hardest in these extremely challenging times, but believe that the best way to do this is through universal credit and discretionary grants, both of which have been made more generous during the pandemic.

Kevin Hollinrake

MP for Thirsk and Malton