EIGHT South Yorkshire MPs voted to retain their controversial second home allowances, which allows them to claim for a raft of household goods and home improvements on the taxpayer.
The MPs - including Housing Minister Caroline Flint and Transport Minister Rosie Winterton - helped throw out a series of reforms of their expenses and hold on to the "John Lewis List".
Four South Yorkshire MPs also backed a failed bid to award themselves an inflation-busting pay rise.
What do you think? Add your comment below.The Commons rejected a root-and-branch reform of their expenses, despite warnings that to do so would be "utterly catastrophic" for the public's view of MPs.
The package of reforms would have seen an end to the use of public funds to furnish second homes.
Earlier this year, it emerged that Parliament had a secret list which stipulates the maximum amounts that MPs can claim for a range of household items under their Additional Cost Allowance.
It includes £10,000 for a kitchen, £750 for a television and £600 for a dining table. Even iPods had been purchased.
Reforms drawn up by the Members' Estimate Committee would have introduced a new Overnight Expenses Allowance, capped at £19,600, to cover the cost of staying away from their constituency home.
MPs would also have been given a £30-a-day subsistence allowance without receipts, up to a maximum of £4,600 every year.
But in a surprise move, MPs voted by a margin of 172 to 144 to keep the £24,000-a-year Additional Costs Allowance.
Those voting to retain the ACA included Rother Valley MP Kevin Barron, Sheffield Attercliffe MP Clive Betts, Barnsley East & Mexborough MP Jeff Ennis, Don Valley MP Caroline Flint, Barnsley Central MP Eric Illsley, Rotherham MP Denis MacShane, Sheffield Hillsborough MP Angela Smith and Doncaster Central MP Rosie Winterton.
Wentworth MP John Healey voted against the retention of the ACA and John Lewis List.
Sheffield Brightside MP David Blunkett, Sheffield Central MP Richard Caborn, Barnsley West and Penistone MP Michael Clapham, Sheffield Hallam MP Nick Clegg, Sheffield Heeley MP Megg Munn and Doncaster North MP Ed Miliband did not vote.
Demands for an external audit of expense claims by the National Audit Office were also rejected by MPs.
Instead, the Commons will continue to police itself with internal checks.
However, a separate court judgement will mean MPs have to publish all of their receipts.
During an earlier vote, the Government defeated a backbench attempt to award MPs an inflation-busting pay rise.
Mr Barron, Mr Betts, My Illsley and Mr MacShane supported the failed bid to increase their salaries by up to 2.3 per cent this year and about 4.7 per cent next year.
The move was defeated by 196 votes to 155, majority 41.
MPs, who are paid £61,181 a year, have instead awarded themselves a below-inflation 2.25 per cent pay rise for this year.
Leader of the House of Commons Harriet Harman had called for MPs to reject parts of Sir John Baker's review on MPs' pay, which would force this year's rise up to 4.55 per cent - double the Government's preferred figure.
READ MOREMain news indexLettersCheck out the very latest on South Yorkshire's roads - including live traffic cameras on Sheffield's commuter routes - with our Traffic sectionLatest sport.The full article contains 563 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.
