STANDARDS in public life have come under intense scrutiny in the last fortnight, leaving public confidence at an all-time low.

Many MPs have second jobs, with some, like Sir Geoffrey Cox coining in vast sums on top of their already high salaries.

Freebies, cash for answering questions and donations from the private sector are also the source of deep concern.

FULL LIST: The North East MPs raking in thousands in donations and second jobs

This week, The Northern Echo lifts the lid on where MPs in our region get their income as part of our The Money Trail investigation tracing the cash behind our MPs.

We tracked the cash trail using the Register of Members' Financial Interests, and while there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing, there are some surprising results.

We're publishing the records held for every MP in the North East and North Yorkshire to help you understand how your politician compares.

What exactly is on the register

There are ten main categories on the register, which is maintained and updated by the Parliamentary for Commissioner for Standards, and require an MP to declare, where appropriate.

MPs in England must declare additional paid employment (second jobs), donations, gifts, hospitality and any homes where the value is more than £100,000 and/or provides rental income of more than £10,000 a year.

They must also declare any shares they have which amount to more than 15 percent of the issues share capital of that company or more than 15 percent of a partnership, while they must declare any shares valued more than £70,000.

When it comes to family, MPs are required to declare whether any members are employed and receive more than £700 in a calendar year as this comes from taxpayers' money (parliamentary expenses).

MPs are also required to declare the details of any family members involved in "lobbying," which is when an individual tries to persuade someone in Parliament to support a specific policy or campaign.

What's on Stockton South MP Matt Vicker's register

And here are the figures for the Conservative Stockton South MP, Matt Vickers as of Monday, November 1.

He was paid £465 a month for 20 hours a week as a councillor

Mr Vickers received thousands in allowances as a councillor at Stockton Borough Council where he took around 20 hours of work a week for £465 a month, until March 8, 2021.

He has also received hundreds of extra pounds in payments following his involvement in surveys held throughout the year.

On March 19, 2021, he received £240 for a YouGov survey completed in February 2021 which lasted around an 1 hour.

On July 16, 2021 he received £120 for a YouGov survey which lasted around 30 minutes.

On August 8, 2021 he received £170 for a YouGov survey which lasted around 30 minutes.

On October 11, 2021 he received £120 for a YouGov survey which lasted around 30 minutes.

And on October 26, 2021 he received £120 for a YouGov survey which again lasted around 30 minutes.

In addition, he also received £250 for a survey from Ipsos Mori, which lasted an hour, and took place on October 9, 2020.

His party received donations on behalf of Mr Vickers

There are entries which show donations relating to Mr Vickers total £6,500 over the last financial year.

An donation with the equivalent value of £4,000 was paid by The Carlton Club on St James' Street in London on May 13, 2021, 

Meanwhile, a donation with the equivalent value of £2,500 was paid by IX Wireless Limited Company, Lockside Road, Riversway in Preston on July 7, 2021.

He received one gift for hospitality directly

Mr Vickers has just one entry, a donation of a ticket including transport and lunch to watch Hartlepool FC play Torquay United in Bristol at a value of £400.

This was donated by Hartlepool United Football Club, Victoria Park in Hartlepool on June 20, 2021.

The Northern Echo approached Matt Vickers.

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