YOUR item "Revealed, details of MPs' expenses" (January 13) lists expenses totalling £185,328.71 claimed in 2019/20 by five of our local Members of Parliament – Caroline Lucas, Maria Caulfield, Lloyd Russell-Moyle, Caroline Ansell and Peter Kyle.

All five are hard-working representatives and it is not cheap to have a staffed office in the heart of the communities that they represent.

Constituents expect their Members of Parliament to be responsive and available throughout the year. They have to have a base in the constituency from where they work for much of the week.

It is very different today from the time of Churchill who represented the safe Liberal seat of Dundee between 1908 and 1922. He was a Liberal for many years. It was reported that Churchill visited the constituency just once during each Parliament - for the election itself.

Perhaps The Argus could find out how much all Sussex MPs spend in the champagne bar in the Commons. I suspect that it will be little, if any, for these five hard-working Members of Parliament.

It is not often that our MPs are praised for their diligence and hard work, along with that of their back office staff, but I would like to thank these five for all they do on our behalf in Parliament and in their communities.

Andy Winter

London Road

Brighton