MPs in Sussex claimed more than £50,000 from the taxpayer for second homes in a six-month period, the Parliamentary authorities revealed yesterday.

The spending emerged as the House of Commons published the latest itemised breakdown of how allowances were used.

Between July and December last year, the latest period for which information is available, the county’s 16 MPs claimed a total of £53,083 for Personal Additional Accommodation Expenditure (PAAE), paid to reimburse members for “necessary” costs incurred when staying overnight away from their main home.

In Sussex, the biggest spender was Transport Minister Norman Baker, Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes, who claimed £10,203 over the six-month period.

The largest chunk of his claims were for monthly rent of £1,538 on a London flat.

Mr Baker said: “There’s a need to be in London. The rent that I have been charged for the flat is on a par for central London, if not lower, and hasn’t gone up for some time. I suspect that my claim is less than it was last year. There aren’t any sofas or TVs - it’s basically what you need to live in London.”

Mr Baker was followed by Policing Minister Nick Herbert, Tory MP for Arundel and South Downs, who claimed £8,750 for mortgage interest, and former Brighton Pavilion MP David Lepper, who spent £5,760 on running a second home.

By contrast, five MPs and former MPs claimed nothing at all for a second home in the second half of 2009.

They were Celia Barlow (Hove), Peter Bottomley (West Worthing), Francis Maude (Horsham), Laura Moffatt (Crawley) and Andrew Tyrie (Chichester).

Since the period in question, six Sussex MPs have left Parliament.

Ms Barlow, Hastings and Rye’s Michael Foster and Eastbourne’s Nigel Waterson all lost their seats at May’s general election, while Brighton Pavilion’s David Lepper, Brighton Kemptown’s Des Turner and Crawley’s Laura Moffatt all stepped down.