Four Nottinghamshire MPs confirm they will eventually drop second jobs as one earns £155,000 from six roles

One MP earns £155,000 a year when considering all his roles combined

Four of Nottinghamshire's new MPs say they will all eventually step down from their second jobs as councillors. The four MPs were already serving as councillors when they successfully stood for Labour in the July general election, with some earning as much as £155,000 a year when all their roles are combined.

The four MPs who also serve as councillors are Rushcliffe's James Naish, Bassetlaw's Jo White, Sherwood Forest's Michelle Welsh and Gedling's Michael Payne. Mr Payne regularly criticised the Conservative leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, Ben Bradley, for having multiple jobs whilst being the MP for Mansfield.

In a social media post on the week of the East Midlands Mayoral election, which Councillor Bradley unsuccessfully stood in, Mr Payne said: "The choice this Thursday in Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire is clear: Give Tory MP, three-jobs Ben 'Pothole' Bradley his 4th taxpayer-funded job, when he's presided over the worst pothole crisis on our roads ever. Or a fresh start & credible leadership with Labour's Claire Ward."

The three jobs Mr Payne refers to are Councillor Bradley's role as Mansfield MP at that time, his role as county council leader and his more basic role as a general councillor on that authority. Using the same metric, Mr Payne now has six jobs, which collectively earn him just over £155,000 a year.

Mr Payne is a member and chair of the Nottinghamshire and Nottingham Fire Authority, with both roles earning him over £29,000 a year. Mr Payne also receives £16,512 a year for his role as a county councillor and £17,620 a year for his role as a member of Gedling Borough Council, on which he also serves as the deputy leader.

The Gedling MP says he will not trigger a by-election by stepping down from the county council, given that the next election for that authority is only in May 2025. Mr Payne says he will not stand in that election and given that he attends the fire authority as a county council member, it means the Gedling MP will drop three of his extra jobs at that point.

In terms of his borough council roles, Mr Payne says he eventually intends to step down from that authority, where the next elections are not due until 2027. There is no firm date on when this will take place yet as the Gedling MP says proper transitional arrangements have to be considered.

Sherwood Forest's Michelle Welsh is a member of the county council and Gedling Borough Council and is taking the exact same approach as Mr Payne for both. James Naish and Jo White previously served as the leader and deputy leader of Bassetlaw District Council respectively before the election, with both having since stood down from their roles.

Both remain councillors on that authority though, with the next elections for the district council not due until 2027. In terms of stepping down before that date, which would trigger a by-election date, both say they eventually intend to do so.

Neither MP are claiming the payment they get for being councillors from the point of being elected to Parliament. In terms of when they may eventually step down, Mr Naish said: "There are ongoing, active conversations at the district and ward level to ensure everything is considered and transitioned appropriately."