A state panel tasked with regulating lobbyists and ethics in New York said an additional $21 million was spent on influencing local and state government officials in 2018 than in the previous year.

The annual report, released Thursday by the Joint Commission of Public Ethics (JCOPE), found lobbyists spent more than $261 million last year, compared to $240 million in 2017.

JCOPE said the number of people doing the lobbying in Albany and elsewhere in the state reached nearly 8,000 in 2018, compared to around 6,700 the previous year.

The report found the ride-sharing service Uber spent the most of any lobbyists — nearly $6 million — with most of it going toward advertising buys. The next-highest spender was the labor union 1199 SEIU at $3.7 million.