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 Thirsk and Malton's MP Kevin Hollinrake's register

These are the figures for the Conservative Thirsk and Malton MP, Kevin Hollinrake as of Monday, November 1.

He earned thousands of pounds a month for second jobs

Mr Hollinrake received thousands of pounds every month in a secondary role as a director of Hunters Estate Agents, registered as Hunters Property plc of York.

Until March 19, 2021, Mr Hollinrake received a salary of £50,000 per year and a car allowance of £9,000 for around 192 hours of work a year.

On March 25, 2019, he received £32,000 as six months' pay in lieu of notice, while there were no additional hours listed.

Did he receive any gifts, benefits or hospitality

Mr Hollinrake has received hundreds in donations in the form of gifts and hospitality over the past year.

Tickets with hospitality equivalent to the value of £350 were received from The Royal & Ancient Golf Club, based in Fife in Scotland, on July 18, 2021.

Further Tickets with hospitality for the Test Match at The Oval, equivalent to the value of £500 were received from London City Airport Ltd on September 2, 2021.

Does he have a home worth more than £100k or receiving more than £10k a year in rent?

The register says that Mr Hollinrake has interests in a number of properties, all in the York area.

It states that he has a third share in four homes in York, and a half share in a fifth residential property.

Is he a shareholder?

The register also contains information of companies where an MP has an interest valued at more than £70,000.

Mr Hollinrake was involved in Hunters Property plc up until March 19, 2021, while from that date he became involved in a company named the Property Franchise Group plc.

What Kevin Holinrake said

In response, Mr Hollinrake said: "Second jobs should not interfere or take priority over the important work of representing constituents, constituency and national policy-making process.

"However, if we now expect MPs to forego previous connections, such as business interests, working as a doctor, nurse, journalist or lawyer, then we will deter good people with important experiences from considering entering the world of politics."

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