Bristol South / data
Karin Smyth · Labour Party · sitting since 07 May 2015 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
4005days
from 07 May 2015
Divisions
407
of 504 possible
Attendance
81%
97 absent / paired
Whip alignment
100%
vs party majority
Speeches
348
79 debates
Written Qs
0
tabled
Committees
0
memberships
Expenses
£292k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 94 claims
Interests
2
2 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 78 | |
| Economy | 76 | |
| Crime & Policing | 43 | |
| Employment | 41 | |
| Education | 34 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 27 | |
| Housing | 23 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 23 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Mp Performance | 1 | — |
| Health | 76 | 73,151 |
| Social Care | 31 | 35,488 |
| Local Government | 19 | 20,062 |
| Fiscal Policy | 8 | 11,457 |
| Labour Market | 9 | 7,956 |
| Economy Jobs | 6 | 7,548 |
| Culture Community | 3 | 2,657 |
B · Notable divisions
Free votes, rebellions and high-salience whipped votes — the moments that distinguish this MP from the party machine. The full division-by-division record will follow once the per-MP archive is wired.
No notable votes recorded for this MP yet.
C · Speeches
| Date | Contribution | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Apr 2026 | Allied Health ProfessionalsI was literally on my last words, so let me go back. My hon. Friend tempts me to reveal more about the workforce plan. As I said, we are not waiting for the plan to work with our c… HealthLabour MarketSocial Care | 168 |
| 23 Apr 2026 | Allied Health ProfessionalsI add my thanks to my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock (Jen Craft) for introducing the debate and to my hon. Friend the Member for Dudley (Sonia Kumar) for bringing it forward a… HealthLabour MarketSocial Care | 1,571 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Women’s Health StrategyThe hon. Member is referring to a meeting as part of my ministerial surgery, which is for Members. I will be happy to see him next week. HealthSocial Care | 27 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Women’s Health StrategyMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. It is unusual to receive emails saying good things. There will be challenges in this work, but it speaks to a wider issue. Many of us as women e… HealthSocial Care | 232 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Women’s Health StrategyAs we know, and as is documented in the strategy, there is sadly a long list of issues that particularly affect women that have been ignored, and it has taken far too long for wome… HealthSocial Care | 73 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Women’s Health StrategyAgain, I put on record my respect and thanks to Sir David Amess and my right hon. Friend the Member for Redcar for the work that they started. I could not remember the exact year—I… HealthSocial Care | 120 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Women’s Health StrategyI thank my hon. Friend for the work she has done, both on maternity and on sight loss, and for people generally. She is a great advocate for making sure that those voices are heard… HealthSocial Care | 142 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Women’s Health StrategyI thank my hon. Friend for her question. The document contains a long list of actions, with clear dates alongside them, so that she and others—including her constituents—can see wh… HealthSocial Care | 37 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Women’s Health StrategyYes, of course. The retirement age is a constant issue that we need to look at across a number of professions, and I am happy to come back to my hon. Friend on that. As part of our… HealthSocial Care | 61 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Women’s Health StrategyI really thank the hon. Gentleman for raising the sometimes taboo subject of stoma and stoma care and for highlighting the complexity of that for women. I send my best wishes to hi… HealthSocial Care | 237 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Women’s Health StrategyAs I said, part of this strategy is about educating girls and boys on health and bringing together all parts of education. We are keen to work in new ways with new media, and with … HealthSocial Care | 51 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Women’s Health StrategyBelinda’s story is shocking, and I hope that she is doing better. This strategy is, as I said, a total game changer. In particular, the renewal of this strategy, based on the previ… HealthSocial Care | 218 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Women’s Health StrategyMy hon. Friend again raises younger women’s voices; we want to continue to hear from them. Part of this strategy is about working with the Department for Education to ensure that g… HealthSocial Care | 118 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Women’s Health StrategyI thank my hon. Friend for his question. He should not apologise for not knowing before; my generation of women, and many before us, were told not to talk about this. We were told … HealthSocial Care | 127 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Women’s Health StrategyI thank the hon. Gentleman and my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent South (Dr Gardner), who I know cannot be here today. She has used her expertise to drive forward recogni… HealthSocial Care | 140 |
D · Written questions
No written questions tabled by this MP in our records.
E · Committees
No committee memberships recorded for this MP.
F · Expenses
Every business-cost claim reimbursed by IPSA in the current financial year, grouped by category. “Aggregated” rows are IPSA’s own year-end totals for cost types like payroll and rent that aren’t itemised claim-by-claim.
Category breakdown
| Category | Claims | Paid (£) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | 20 | 27,774 | 9.5% |
| Office Costs | 59 | 17,678 | 6.1% |
| Staffing | 2 | 237,127 | 81.2% |
| Miscellaneous | 2 | 2,130 | 0.7% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 5,626 | 1.9% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 1,526 | 0.5% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | Accommodation | 14 | 26,400 |
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 1 | 4,600 |
| Removals | Miscellaneous | 2 | 2,130 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 15 | 1,688 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 11 | 1,067 |
| Cleaning services | Office Costs | 6 | 972 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 2 | 791 |
| Council tax | Accommodation | 1 | 730 |
| Utilities | Accommodation | 5 | 644 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 9 | 554 |
| Equipment - hire | Office Costs | 6 | 512 |
| Insurance - contents | Office Costs | 1 | 374 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Apr 2025 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 2,200 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -2,200 | Paid |
| 25 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Electricity | 78 | Paid |
| 18 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Office furniture | -57 | Paid |
| 11 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Internet | 46 | Paid |
| 09 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Internet | 116 | Paid |
| 06 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Computer, laptop, PC, tablet & accessories | 30 | Paid |
| 04 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 2,200 | Paid |
| 19 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Office furniture | 605 | Paid |
| 19 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Office furniture | 232 | Paid |
| 12 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Internet | 46 | Paid |
| 09 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Internet | 172 | Paid |
| 07 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | 120 gsm paper | 5 | Paid |
| 04 Feb 2025 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 2,200 | Paid |
| 28 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Internet | 46 | Paid |
| 15 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - hire | Printer, photocopier & scanner | 0 | Repaid |
| 09 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Internet | 118 | Paid |
| 08 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Sundries | 20 | Paid |
| 07 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | CARTRIDGE SAVE | 419 | Paid |
| 07 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Other office equipment | 60 | Paid |
G · Register of interests
Every financial interest declared by the MP, grouped under the Register’s official categories. Retracted entries are hidden but counted above.
3. Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources1 entry
29 Apr 2025
Name of donor: The Football Association
Address of donor: Wembley Stadium, Wembley, London HA9 0WS
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Two tickets and hospitality to see the Lionesses play Belgium at Ashton Gate, Bristol, value £410
Date received: 4 April 2025
Date accepted: 4 April 2025
Donor status: company, registration 00077797
(Registered 25 April 2025)
8. Miscellaneous1 entry
18 Apr 2024
Vice-Chair of the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly. This is an unpaid role.
Date interest arose: 28 July 2016
Date interest ended: 27 January 2025
(Registered 7 December 2023; updated 16 January 2024 and 25 April 2025)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 7 wards, 16 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedminster | Ellie Freeman | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,964 | 02 May 2024 |
| Bedminster | Emily Jade Clarke | Labour Party | 1,895 | 02 May 2024 |
| Bishopsworth | Richard Stephen Eddy | Conservative and Unionist Party | 994 | 02 May 2024 |
| Bishopsworth | Susan Kollar | Labour Party | 985 | 02 May 2024 |
| Filwood | Lisa Durston | Labour Party | 1,088 | 02 May 2024 |
| Filwood | Rob Logan | Labour Party | 1,004 | 02 May 2024 |
| Hartcliffe Withywood | Kerry Johanna Bailes | Labour Party | 965 | 02 May 2024 |
| Hartcliffe Withywood | Kirsty Tait | Labour Party | 873 | 02 May 2024 |
| Hartcliffe Withywood | Paul Goggin | Labour Party | 846 | 02 May 2024 |
| Hengrove Whitchurch Park | Andrew Brown | Liberal Democrats | 1,956 | 02 May 2024 |
| Hengrove Whitchurch Park | Sarah Classick | Liberal Democrats | 1,954 | 02 May 2024 |
| Hengrove Whitchurch Park | Tim Kent | Liberal Democrats | 2,218 | 02 May 2024 |
| Southville | Christine Charlotte Townsend | Green Party of England and Wales | 2,351 | 02 May 2024 |
| Southville | Tony Dyer | Green Party of England and Wales | 2,385 | 02 May 2024 |
| Windmill Hill | Ed Plowden | Green Party of England and Wales | 2,808 | 02 May 2024 |
| Windmill Hill | Lisa Stone | Green Party of England and Wales | 2,878 | 02 May 2024 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 100,365 | Electorate 75,533 (2024) |
| Median age | 35 | years |
| Degree-educated | 35.6% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 90.3% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 57.2% | households |
| Private-rented | 20.0% | households |
| Social-rented | 22.4% | households |
| Employment rate | 64.5% | 16-64 in work |
J · Public spending
HMT publishes headline spending identifiable by region in PESA. Constituency-level capital allocations (Levelling-Up Fund, Towns Fund, UKSPF, transport capital, BEIS R&D) are published as separate departmental datasets. We are evaluating the cleanest reconciliation for a per-constituency view.