Cheltenham / data
Max Wilkinson · Liberal Democrats · sitting since 04 Jul 2024 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
680days
from 04 Jul 2024
Divisions
355
of 515 possible
Attendance
69%
160 absent / paired
Whip alignment
99%
vs party majority
Speeches
177
80 debates
Written Qs
423
408 answered
Committees
0
memberships
Expenses
£196k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 195 claims
Interests
7
2 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 80 | |
| Economy | 65 | |
| Employment | 40 | |
| Education | 34 | |
| Crime & Policing | 34 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 24 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 21 | |
| Pensions | 21 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Culture Community | 29 | 18,753 |
| Economy Jobs | 36 | 16,686 |
| Crime | 28 | 8,219 |
| Local Government | 20 | 6,437 |
| Fiscal Policy | 8 | 4,952 |
| Social Care | 10 | 4,201 |
| Defence | 14 | 3,884 |
| Immigration | 13 | 2,969 |
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.
| Date | Division | Whip | MP voted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: New Clause 2Vote on New Clause 2 to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, debated alongside related amendments including provisions on guidance,… | Free vote | Aye |
| 13 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: New Clause 1Vote on New Clause 1 to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, a private member's bill on assisted dying. Based on available debate c… | Free vote | Aye |
| 13 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment (b) to New Clause 14Vote on whether to strengthen the advertising ban in the Assisted Dying Bill by requiring that any advertising restrictions also cover situa… | Free vote | Aye |
C · Speeches
| Date | Contribution | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Apr 2026 | Crime and Policing BillI recognise that, since the last round of ping-pong, a concession was made on youth diversion orders in the other place and we welcome that. We are disappointed that the Government… CrimeDefence | 168 |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Crime and Policing BillThank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I will try not to talk too much rubbish, although those on the Treasury Benches will object, as usual. As I stated last week, the Liberal Democrats… CrimeLocal Government | 634 |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Antisemitic AttacksOn behalf of the Liberal Democrats, I want to extend my sympathies to the Jewish community, who will understandably be worried about the disturbing uptick in violence against their… CrimeDefenceCulture Community | 355 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Crime and Policing BillAs the Liberal Democrats made clear at earlier stages, there are parts of the Bill that we can support and parts that we strongly oppose. We welcome a number of the new measures br… CrimeTechnologyCulture Community | 502 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Crime and Policing BillZoe’s case goes to show that we need to go so much further to protect women, and the depiction of that kind of activity clearly might provoke unintended consequences that none of u… CrimeTechnologyCulture Community | 478 |
| 23 Mar 2026 | Topical QuestionsThe agreement to fund French police activities to prevent small boats from leaving the French coast is about to run out. That risks the resumption of higher numbers of small boat c… CrimeImmigrationCulture Community | 109 |
| 23 Mar 2026 | Asylum Seekers: AccommodationThe Home Secretary’s authoritarian tendencies often please the Reform party and the Tories, but some Labour Members are apparently less happy with that approach to immigration and … ImmigrationHousingLocal Government | 104 |
| 12 Mar 2026 | Business of the HouseUnder regional devolution plans, MHCLG has told Gloucestershire to look to the north, with Herefordshire, Worcestershire and maybe Warwickshire, too. Our integrated care board is b… DefenceCost Of LivingLocal Government | 79 |
| 12 Mar 2026 | Topical QuestionsHigh streets are a key concern for us all in this House. On the Promenade in Cheltenham we have Cavendish House, which was a cherished retail centre for 200 years. [Interruption.] … Economy JobsLabour MarketEnergy | 111 |
| 12 Mar 2026 | Defending Democracy TaskforceI thank the Speaker’s Office for all that Mr Speaker and the Madam Deputy Speakers are doing on this issue. I must say, I was somewhat taken aback by the shadow Minister’s approach… CrimeMp PerformanceDefence | 556 |
| 11 Mar 2026 | Protest PolicingThe Home Secretary is aware that we have concerns about her authoritarian tendencies. We have particular concerns about this Government’s enthusiasm for restricting the right to pr… CrimeImmigrationDefence | 323 |
| 11 Feb 2026 | Police Grant ReportI thank the shadow Home Secretary for addressing those two points. I can reassure him that I am not on the wanted list, although I can speak only for myself. That was a useful clar… CrimeFiscal PolicyLocal Government | 409 |
| 11 Feb 2026 | Police Grant ReportI thank my hon. Friend for his timely intervention. On the issue of policing structures, if the Government impose wider boundaries, as they intend to, we need to ensure that they f… CrimeFiscal PolicyLocal Government | 377 |
| 11 Feb 2026 | Police Grant ReportWe envisage them being staffed. Clearly, people want to see police face to face. AI can have a role, although we all know there was a cautionary tale from the west midlands recentl… CrimeFiscal PolicyLocal Government | 229 |
| 11 Feb 2026 | Police Grant ReportThe hon. Member suggests from a sedentary position that each police officer will have multiple wards. I wonder whether the Minister can clarify that. CrimeFiscal PolicyLocal Government | 24 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Social Care | 84 | 19.9% |
| Home Office | 80 | 18.9% |
| Department for Culture, Media and Sport | 44 | 10.4% |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 37 | 8.7% |
| Department for Education | 29 | 6.9% |
| Department for Transport | 28 | 6.6% |
| Treasury | 24 | 5.7% |
| Department for Work and Pensions | 19 | 4.5% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 May 2026 | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether a five storey building meets the criteria for Homes England to provide funding for essential cladding remediation works, irrespective of the building's hei… | Pending |
| 13 May 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff are currently engaged in the management and oversight of asylum accommodation contracts, broken down by (a) directly employed departmental staff and (b) external contract… | Pending |
| 13 May 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if they will list the total number of performance failures recorded under each of the seven regional Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) in each year from 2019 to 2024; an… | Pending |
| 27 Apr 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff are currently engaged in the management and oversight of asylum accommodation contracts, broken down by (a) directly employed departmental staff and (b) external contract… | Pending |
| 27 Apr 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if they will list the total number of performance failures recorded under each of the seven regional Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) in each year from 2019 to 2024; an… | Pending |
| 27 Apr 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps they have taken to reform the performance management regime for the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC); and when they expect substantive changes to that regime… | Pending |
| 27 Apr 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if they will list the excess profits recorded under each of the seven regional Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) for each year from 2019 to 2024; and how much has been r… | Pending |
| 21 Apr 2026 | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the maintenance cost to councils of ageing water infrastructure. | Pending |
| 21 Apr 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of ageing water infrastructure on road surfaces. | Pending |
| 21 Apr 2026 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding her Department has made available for the upgrade of ageing water and sewer infrastructure. | Pending |
| 21 Apr 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits to the effectiveness of highway maintenance of mapping underground water infrastructure. | Pending |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Department for Culture, Media and Sport | To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress she has made on implementing the recommendations of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee in the report entitled Economics of music streaming, Session 2021-22, HC 50… | Pending |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of social care support available to those diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder. | Pending |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the payment of (a) PAYE income tax and (b) National Insurance contributions in respect of UK-based employees is considered as evidence that an organisation is operating in the U… | Pending |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of Functional Neurological Disorder. | Pending |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office Costs | 104 | 21,115 | 10.7% |
| Accommodation | 40 | 20,995 | 10.7% |
| Staffing | 31 | 140,983 | 71.8% |
| Miscellaneous | 1 | 1,817 | 0.9% |
| Dependant Travel | 0 | 1,387 | 0.7% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 5,706 | 2.9% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 4,456 | 2.3% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | Accommodation | 9 | 19,910 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 27 | 4,962 |
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 1 | 4,900 |
| Rent | Office Costs | 5 | 4,864 |
| Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Office Costs | 8 | 3,401 |
| Removals | Miscellaneous | 1 | 1,817 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 3 | 1,719 |
| Landline phone & internet - installation & equipment purchase | Office Costs | 1 | 1,495 |
| Utilities | Office Costs | 5 | 1,341 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 38 | 1,090 |
| Bought-in services | Office Costs | 1 | 1,088 |
| Training - staff | Staffing | 2 | 820 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Electricity | 281 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Office furniture | 158 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Hospitality | Coffee for constituents [200011797-172] | 7 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -116 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -890 | Paid |
| 30 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Other office equipment | 29 | Paid |
| 28 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Other office equipment | 124 | Paid |
| 28 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Other office equipment | 14 | Paid |
| 26 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Electricity | 69 | Paid |
| 26 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Gas | 34 | Paid |
| 25 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Other office equipment | 25 | Paid |
| 24 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Other office equipment | 528 | Paid |
| 24 Mar 2025 | Staffing Volunteer - agreed arrangement costs | Subsistence | 3 | Paid |
| 24 Mar 2025 | Staffing Volunteer - agreed arrangement costs | Subsistence | 3 | Paid |
| 24 Mar 2025 | Staffing Volunteer - agreed arrangement costs | Subsistence | 3 | Paid |
| 21 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | [200011725-6879] | 170 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 450 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 150 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 150 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Cleaning services | Banner March 2025 | 59 | 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.
2. (a) Support linked to an MP but received by a local party organisation or indirectly via a central party organisation2 entries
02 Dec 2025
Name of donor: Julian Dunkerton
Address of donor: private
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £5,000
Donor status: individual
(Registered 19 November 2025)
02 Dec 2025
Name of donor: James Moore
Address of donor: private
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £2,500
Donor status: individual
(Registered 19 November 2025)
3. Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources5 entries
27 Nov 2025
Name of donor: National Liberal Club
Address of donor: 1 Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2HE
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Complimentary membership of the National Liberal Club from August 2024 until December 2025, value £863.69
Date received: 15 August 2024 to 31 December 2025
Date accepted: 15 August 2024
Donor status: unincorporated association
(Registered 23 September 2024)
06 Jan 2026
Name of donor: Gleeds UK Ltd
Address of donor: 58 Berners Street, London W1T 3NQ
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Ticket to Liberal Democrat winter ball, value £1,000
Date received: 20 November 2025
Date accepted: 20 November 2025
Donor status: company, registration 06473135
(Registered 16 December 2025)
03 Jun 2025
Name of donor: PRS for Music
Address of donor: 1st Floor, Goldings House, 2 Hays Lane, London SE1 2HB
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Ticket to attend awards ceremony, including dinner, value £360
Date received: 26 February 2025
Date accepted: 26 February 2025
Donor status: company, registration 03444246
(Registered 13 May 2025)
08 Oct 2025
Name of donor: Allwyn Entertainment Ltd
Address of donor: 37-39 Clarendon Road, Watford WD17 1JA
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Three tickets to the women's rugby world cup final including food and drink, value £1,485
Date received: 27 September 2025
Date accepted: 27 September 2025
Donor status: company, registration 13157556
(Registered 3 October 2025)
01 Jul 2025
Name of donor: The Lucky Onion Group Ltd
Address of donor: Dowdeswell Park London Road, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham GL52 6UT
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Hosting MP and Business Network event, value £476
Date received: 6 June 2025
Date accepted: 6 June 2025
Donor status: company, registration 07993954
(Registered 23 June 2025)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 18 wards, 18 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Saints | Izaac Augustus Tailford | Liberal Democrats | 928 | 07 May 2026 |
| Battledown | Chris Day | Liberal Democrats | 1,040 | 07 May 2026 |
| Benhall The Reddings Fiddlers Green | Stephen Ian Steinhardt | Liberal Democrats | 1,103 | 07 May 2026 |
| Charlton Kings | Arthur Gordon Snell | Liberal Democrats | 922 | 07 May 2026 |
| Charlton Park | Steve Harvey | Liberal Democrats | 906 | 07 May 2026 |
| College | Garth Wallington Barnes | Liberal Democrats | 1,003 | 07 May 2026 |
| Hesters Way | Callum James Eldridge | Reform UK | 431 | 07 May 2026 |
| Lansdown | Jamie Jamieson | Liberal Democrats | 874 | 07 May 2026 |
| Leckhampton | Julia Caroline Chandler | Liberal Democrats | 1,274 | 07 May 2026 |
| Oakley | Alisha Chloe-Marie Lewis | Liberal Democrats | 632 | 07 May 2026 |
| Park | Karen Louise Priest | Liberal Democrats | 997 | 07 May 2026 |
| Pittville | Cecily Frances Grace Henderson | Liberal Democrats | 1,037 | 07 May 2026 |
| Prestbury | Jan Foster | Green Party of England and Wales | 993 | 07 May 2026 |
| St Mark's | Richard James Pineger | Liberal Democrats | 752 | 07 May 2026 |
| St Paul's | Ashleigh Davies | Green Party of England and Wales | 723 | 07 May 2026 |
| St Peter's | Cathy Dearden | Liberal Democrats | 876 | 07 May 2026 |
| Up Hatherley | Julie Margaret Sankey | Liberal Democrats | 1,177 | 07 May 2026 |
| Warden Hill | Tony Oliver | Liberal Democrats | 1,094 | 07 May 2026 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 100,396 | Electorate 76,144 (2024) |
| Median age | 40 | years |
| Degree-educated | 44.8% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 91.2% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 63.6% | households |
| Private-rented | 24.8% | households |
| Social-rented | 11.5% | households |
| Median weekly pay | £666 | ASHE |
| Employment rate | 60.5% | 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.