FOUR outgoing East Lancashire MPs are entitled to a total of nearly £200,000 in ‘resettlement grants’ after the election, it has been revealed.

Former Rossendale and Darwen MP Janet Anderson, and Gordon Prentice, who represented Pendle, are each entitled to £64,766 in recognition of their 18 years’ service each.

Former Hyndburn MP Greg Pope and ex-Burnley MP Kitty Ussher are each due £32,383 despite resigning from their posts.

Critics said the pay-outs, which came after the expenses scandal of the previous summer, were ‘outrageous’ especially as they are in addition to their pensions.

Nicknamed ‘golden goodbyes’, they are paid in addition to any parliamentary pension or the winding up pay-ments given to MPs to pay off their staff or the rental on their constituency offices.

They are tax-free for the first £30,000.

TaxPayers’ Alliance analyst John O’Connell said: “The resettlement grant is the equivalent of a redundancy pay-ment, so MPs find it easier adjusting to non-parliamentary life.

"MPs are entitled to the payment even if they decide not to run for re-election and therefore resign, rather than being fired.

“Other workers that come to the conclusion of a fixed-term contract are not recompensed in this way – MPs should not be either.”

It is not known how much has been accepted, but the alliance described the figures as ‘huge sums’.

The res-earch found that 218 departing MPs are entitled to £10.4m in total – an average of £47,706.

In East Lancashire, Greg Pope has been appointed deputy director of Catholic educa-tion in England and Wales.

Mr Pope’s new job came after he announced as long ago as last year that he would not be standing for re-election after 18 years for ‘personal reasons and to pursue other projects’.

Kitty Ussher is now the chief economist at thinktank Demos.

Gordon Prentice and Janet Anderson have not revealed their plans for the future.

Today none of the former MPs were available for comment.