Gidley was sometimes described as "Hampshire's most expensive MP" by her political opponents, claiming £160,000 in 2007/08, and £187,000 in another year, midst concerns she was using tax payer's money to fund her political and re-election campaign. It emerged the Tax Payer was paying money to her party's constituency office, including paying the business rates, £60 for water, over £600 a year on telephones, and £960 on tea, coffee and cleaning. In 2011, her successor, Conservative MP Caroline Nokes, claimed £87,000 a year less in expenses than Gidley. However in 2017–2018 Caroline Nokes was claiming £168,297.18 in expenses. Whilst an MP, Gidley was claiming £1,638 a month for a luxury flat with indoor swimming pool in London, as well as £420 a month for food, and over £1,000 for Council Tax, and was criticised when it emerged she and three other Lib Dem MPs, accepted a £18,700 cash windfall from the landlord of the Dolphin Square flat, in return for agreeing to an increase in their rent, which was funded by the taxpayer. She was found to have "accepted one-off cash payment from the owners of an apartment block close to Parliament in return for agreeing to pay higher rent levels". A Parliamentary Committee on Standards and Privileges was critical of Gidley's 'serious misjudgment' in accepting the windfall, said she had broke the rules, and she was forced to apologise for it. Gidley stood unsuccessfully in the 2013 Hampshire County Council election against incumbent Conservative Councillor Roy Perry, former Member of the European Parliament and also the father of Caroline Nokes, the Conservative candidate who defeated her in 2010. In the 2019 Local Elections, Gidley returned to Test Valley Council as the Councillor for Romsey Abbey ward defeating the Conservative Party incumbent. Gidley was her Party's Front Bench Spokesperson on Women's issues, and Chair of the Lib Dems 'Gender Balance Taskforce' at the time it emerged the Party's Chief Executive, Lord Rennard, was accused of a series of sexual assaults against women. She appeared on the BBC and admitted that the Lib Dems had 'screwed up'. However, several days later she claimed she had informed party leader Nick Clegg of the concerns over Rennard's conduct. Neither Nick Clegg or Sandra Gidley knew of any specific details as stated by Nick Clegg's spokesman "Sandra Gidley once raised general concerns with Nick Clegg about Lord Rennard's conduct.