A Somerset MP who is also serving as a Devon councillor has donated her entire allowance from her latter position to Citizens Advice.

Rachel Gilmour was elected in July as the Liberal Democrat MP for Tiverton and Minehead, a newly-created seat which straddles the Devon-Somerset border.

In addition to her work as an MP, Mrs Gilmour currently serves on Mid Devon District Council, having been elected to the newly-created Clare and Shuttern seat at the local elections in May 2023.

Mrs Gilmour has now announced that, since her election to parliament, she has been donating her monthly councillor allowance to the West Somerset Citizens Advice service in Minehead.

This is in contrast to her fellow Lib Dem MP Sarah Dyke, who claimed her full Somerset Council allowance between her first by-election victory in July 2023 and her resignation on October 11 this year.

The annual salary for an MP is £91,346 as of April 1, 2024 – with MPs also able to claim expenses to run a local office and employ staff to handle casework.

Any additional income an MP receives – whether a paid position, the proceeds of shares, donations from constituents or other remuneration – must be declared on the official register of members’ financial interests, which is updated every fortnight.

Elected councillors do not receive a salary for their time, but are provided with a monthly allowance to cover their time and any travel expenses incurred.

All Mid Devon councillors are eligible for an annual allowance of £6,000, paid in monthly instalments – with additional allowances being available for the leader and senior committee members.

Mrs Gilmour’s Clare and Shuttern ward includes her home town of Bampton, numerous small rural communities between Dulverton and Tiverton, and key sections of both the A361 and A396 arterial roads.

Parliament’s official members’ register includes a recording of the allowance, with an estimation that she has devoted around 40 hours a month to her council duties.

Mrs Gilmour announced in September that she would be standing down from her district council seat early in the new year, to coincide with the Devon County Council elections which are due to be held in May 2025.

She said: “I am happy to be supporting the Citizens Advice Bureau who do so much for the local community in west Somerset.

“I am delighted that this money will be used to increase benefit adviser hours,
specifically to serve pensioners in the Tiverton and Minehead constituency whose allowances and pensions have been raided.”

The West Somerset Citizens Advice office is located on Market House Lane near the centre of Minehead, and is currently open from 10am to 5pm on weekdays.

Chair of trustees Barbara O’Keefe said: “At a time when many of our clients are facing financial challenges due to a cost of living crisis, Rachel Gilmour’s donation is particularly welcome and we are truly grateful that Rachel has chosen to support our organisation.

“Through this increased funding we will be able to increase our benefits advisers; hours and better support our Citizens Advice clients in west Somerset who are in real need.

“The work of our advisers is so important. They provide a comprehensive
welfare benefits advice and advocacy service for our clients, offering expert advice on all aspects of the sometimes complex welfare benefits system.

“They advise clients on the availability and eligibility of benefits and grants, give debt advice and they can also make referrals to advise on other areas such as housing and employment queries.

“Rachel’s kind donation will enable us to extend the service that we offer to our clients in West Somerset.”

Two other Somerset MPs are also currently serving as elected division members on Somerset Council – Yeovil MP Adam Dance (who represents the South Petherton and Islemoor division) and Wells & Mendip Hills MP Tessa Munt (who represents the city of Wells).

Neither individual has indicated that they intend to step down from their council duties in the near-future, though both left their positions on the council’s executive before the general election campaign began.

A by-election to replace Ms Dyke in the Blackmoor Vale division will be held on November 21, with the result being announced by Somerset Council the following day.