Faversham & Mid Kent / data
Helen Whately · Conservative and Unionist Party · sitting since 07 May 2015 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
4005days
from 07 May 2015
Divisions
350
of 504 possible
Attendance
69%
154 absent / paired
Whip alignment
100%
vs party majority
Speeches
96
32 debates
Written Qs
455
448 answered
Committees
0
memberships
Expenses
£274k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 150 claims
Interests
9
4 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 84 | |
| Economy | 64 | |
| Employment | 37 | |
| Education | 31 | |
| Crime & Policing | 27 | |
| Pensions | 21 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 21 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 20 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | 1 | — |
| Economy Jobs | 19 | 13,177 |
| Fiscal Policy | 15 | 10,835 |
| Social Care | 17 | 10,692 |
| Labour Market | 18 | 10,102 |
| Cost Of Living | 10 | 7,508 |
| Education | 3 | 1,339 |
| Health | 2 | 1,052 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Jun 2025 | Crime and Policing Bill Report Stage: New Clause 106Vote on New Clause 106, which sought to require women to have an in-person medical consultation before receiving abortion medication, as a s… | Rebelled | No |
C · Speeches
| Date | Contribution | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Apr 2026 | Pension Schemes Bill“I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help.” Fiscal PolicyEconomy JobsLabour Market | 9 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Pension Schemes BillThis is an extraordinary hill for the Minister to choose to die on. Mandation was never put to voters, it never had the backing of industry, and it should not be forced through Par… Fiscal PolicyEconomy JobsLabour Market | 42 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Pension Schemes BillI say to the Minister yet again that pension pots belong to the people who have worked, earned and saved. It is their money, not the Government’s. Ministers in Whitehall should not… Fiscal PolicyEconomy JobsLabour Market | 60 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Pension Schemes BillNow to the question of scale, the Bill assumes that if schemes offer a strong proposition and good member outcomes, there is nothing to stop them growing. We disagree; it is not th… Fiscal PolicyEconomy JobsLabour Market | 69 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Pension Schemes BillWhile pursuing the objective of scale, the Government must avoid entrenching advantage at the expense of performance. That would not serve the interests of members. It is on that b… Fiscal PolicyEconomy JobsLabour Market | 90 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Pension Schemes BillSize alone does not equal success. Take football clubs as an example: a larger club may have greater resources, a bigger stadium, more expensive players and larger crowds, but none… Fiscal PolicyEconomy JobsLabour Market | 99 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Pension Schemes BillThe review amendment is also welcome. It introduces a post-legislative reporting requirement on scale, which will allow this House to hold the Government to account for the real-wo… Fiscal PolicyEconomy JobsLabour Market | 32 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Pension Schemes BillUnfortunately, that is where our agreement ends, and I suspect the Minister knows that, so let us turn directly to the elephant in the room: mandation. The Minister has advanced a … Fiscal PolicyEconomy JobsLabour Market | 80 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Pension Schemes BillSecondly, the Minister has said that this is merely a reserve power—and one that the Government have no intention of using. But a reserve power does not sit harmlessly on the shelf… Fiscal PolicyEconomy JobsLabour Market | 91 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Pension Schemes BillThat leads us to the Minister’s central claim that mandation is necessary to solve a collective action problem—that while the sector recognises the case for higher return investmen… Fiscal PolicyEconomy JobsLabour Market | 128 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Pension Schemes BillThe truth is that parts of the solution to this problem are in the Bill. The pensions dashboard will give savers visibility and, with it, agency. The value for money framework will… Fiscal PolicyEconomy JobsLabour Market | 81 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Pension Schemes BillToday we have also heard the Minister reach for one last defence—and strangely late in the day. He claimed that mandation was in the Labour party manifesto. It was not. There is no… Fiscal PolicyEconomy JobsLabour Market | 102 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Pension Schemes BillThe Minister may be planning to say in his wrap-up that the Government already intervene and that there are all manner of regulations shaping trustee behaviour, and of course there… Fiscal PolicyEconomy JobsLabour Market | 70 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Pension Schemes BillI do appreciate the Minister’s attempt to offer an olive branch on mandation—several olive branches, in fact. Last week an amendment was tabled to constrain his originally unlimite… Fiscal PolicyEconomy JobsLabour Market | 101 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Pension Schemes BillThis week we have seen a flurry of concessions. There have been revisions to the sunset clause. First, the date when the mandation power lapses, if it has not been used, is being b… Fiscal PolicyEconomy JobsLabour Market | 98 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department for Work and Pensions | 251 | 55.2% |
| Treasury | 44 | 9.7% |
| Department for Transport | 44 | 9.7% |
| Department of Health and Social Care | 31 | 6.8% |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 26 | 5.7% |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 18 | 4.0% |
| Home Office | 13 | 2.9% |
| Department for Business and Trade | 8 | 1.8% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Apr 2026 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to answer Question 123304 from the hon. Member for Faversham and Mid Kent. | Pending |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to answer Question 123305 from the hon. Member for Faversham and Mid Kent. | Pending |
| 21 Apr 2026 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2025 to Question 47466 on Pathways to Work: Impact Assessments with specific reference to anxiety, depression and ADHD/ADD, and with further reference t… | Pending |
| 21 Apr 2026 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2025 to Question 47466 on Pathways to Work: Impact Assessments, what is the most recent equivalent disaggregation by health category for this data. | Pending |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2025 to Question 47466 on Pathways to Work: Impact Assessments, a) what is the most recent equivalent disaggregation by health category and b) what defi… | Pending |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in receipt of Universal Credit have a total gross household income, including earnings and other income, within the (a) £0–£20,000, (b) £20,001–£40,000, (c) £40,001–£6… | Answered |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many face-to-face assessments were conducted in the Cardiff PIP assessment centre from September 2024 to March 2025. | Pending |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many face-to-face assessments were conducted in the Birkenhead PIP assessment centre from September 2024 to March 2025. | Pending |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2026 to Question 87358 on Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations, how many and what proportion of Personal Independence Payment (a) asses… | Answered |
| 18 Mar 2026 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to UIN 107421, if he will provide a nationality breakdown of people with Universal Credit claims that failed the Habitual Residence Test. | Answered |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many telephone-based PIP assessments are recorded. | Answered |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Jobcentres there are as of a) March 2026 and b) March 2025. | Answered |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department is planning to (a) open and (b) close any Jobcentres this year. | Answered |
| 04 Mar 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the number and proportion of licensed sponsoring employers for (a) Skilled Worker visa holders and (b) Health and Care Worker visa holders registered in each local a… | Answered |
| 04 Mar 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the number and proportion of applicants granted (a) Skilled Worker visas and (b) Health and Care Worker visas whose declared workplace is located in each local autho… | Answered |
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 | 118 | 19,442 | 7.1% |
| Accommodation | 20 | 25,665 | 9.4% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 2,955 | 1.1% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 437 | 0.2% |
| Staffing | 0 | 225,228 | 82.3% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pooled staffing services | Office Costs | 2 | 5,263 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 10 | 4,415 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 51 | 3,526 |
| Training - staff | Office Costs | 6 | 1,750 |
| Utilities | Accommodation | 7 | 1,493 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 11 | 1,450 |
| Council tax | Accommodation | 1 | 1,189 |
| Postage & couriers | Office Costs | 13 | 894 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Accommodation | 12 | 879 |
| Bought-in services | Office Costs | 4 | 720 |
| Advertising and contact cards | Office Costs | 11 | 586 |
| Website hosting and design | Office Costs | 2 | 438 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03 Apr 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Electricity | 77 | Paid |
| 02 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Advertising and contact cards | Placement of MP contact details in local newsletter (one year-Lenham) [200011792-163] | 94 | Paid |
| 01 Apr 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Gas | 81 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Water | 609 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Advertising and contact cards | Advertisement of Unsung Heroes awards [200011792-606] | 38 | Paid |
| 23 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Software & applications | ADOBE [200011725-5418] | 291 | Paid |
| 21 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Bought-in services | Comms & Media | 120 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 3 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 1 | Paid |
| 14 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Training - staff | Training course | 292 | Paid |
| 14 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Training - staff | Training course | 292 | Paid |
| 14 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Training - staff | Training course | 292 | Paid |
| 14 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Training - staff | Training course | 292 | Paid |
| 14 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Training - staff | Training course | 292 | Paid |
| 14 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Training - staff | Training course | 292 | Paid |
| 12 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Bought-in services | Comms & Media | 150 | Paid |
| 08 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Internet | 74 | Paid |
| 08 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Advertising and contact cards | Advertisement of MP contact details in Doddington Newsletter (one year) [200011792-269] | 1 | Paid |
| 05 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Website hosting and design | www.helenwhately.org.uk domain renewal | 78 | Paid |
| 04 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | PAYPAL HPINCUKLIMI [200011725-2704] | 12 | 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 organisation6 entries
14 Apr 2026
Name of donor: Lord Michael Farmer
Address of donor: private
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £5,000 financial support towards the cost of salary for a member of staff to assist the work of the Shadow Secretary of State.
Donor status: individual
(Registered 25 March 2026)
14 Apr 2026
Name of donor: Richard Oldfield
Address of donor: private
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £7,500 financial support towards the cost of salary for a member of staff to assist the work of the Shadow Secretary of State.
Donor status: individual
(Registered 25 March 2026)
25 Mar 2026
Name of donor: Richard Oldfield
Address of donor: private
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £7,500 financial support towards the cost of salary for a member of staff to assist the work of the Shadow Secretary of State.
Donor status: individual
(Registered 5 January 2026)
10 Mar 2026
Name of donor: Edward Sells
Address of donor: private
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £10,000 financial support towards the cost of salary for a member of staff to assist my work as a Shadow Secretary of State.
Donor status: individual
(Registered 24 February 2026)
03 Feb 2026
Name of donor: Edward Garton Woods
Address of donor: private
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £5,000 financial support towards the cost of salary for a member of staff to assist my work as a Shadow Secretary of State.
Donor status: individual
(Registered 21 January 2026)
20 Jan 2026
Name of donor: Lord (Stanley) Fink
Address of donor: private
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £5,000 financial support towards the cost of salary for a member of staff to assist the work of the Shadow Secretary of State.
Donor status: individual
(Registered 14 January 2026)
2. (b) Any other support not included in Category 2(a)1 entry
03 Jun 2025
Name of donor: Richard Chesson
Address of donor: private
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Sponsorship of the Unsung Heroes Awards including promotional signage, hospitality for the prize giving ceremony and prizes for the winners (exact amount), value £2,450
Date received: 25 April 2025 to 15 May 2025
Date accepted: 25 April 2025
Donor status: individual
(Registered 22 May 2025)
3. Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources1 entry
29 Apr 2025
Name of donor: Google UK Ltd
Address of donor: 1 St.Giles High Street, London WC2H 8AG
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Travel, overnight stay and hospitality at Ditchley Park as part of the AI Parliamentary Scheme by Demos, in partnership with Google, value £488.50
Date received: 3 April 2025
Date accepted: 3 April 2025
Donor status: company, registration 03977902
(Registered 23 April 2025)
8. Miscellaneous1 entry
02 Oct 2024
My husband, Marcus Whately, is Chief Executive of GrowUp Farms, a salad producer.
(Registered 17 September 2024)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 14 wards, 26 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbey | Charles Alexander Gibson | Liberal Democrats | 435 | 14 Dec 2023 |
| Bearsted Downswood | Ciaran Dominic Oliver | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,013 | 02 May 2024 |
| Bearsted Downswood | Denis Charles Spooner | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,021 | 02 May 2024 |
| Bearsted Downswood | Val Springett | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,200 | 02 May 2024 |
| Boughton Courtenay | Alastair Gould | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,122 | 04 May 2023 |
| Boughton Courtenay | Rich Lehmann | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,123 | 04 May 2023 |
| Boxley Downs | Stephen Roy Thompson | Green Party of England and Wales | 810 | 02 May 2024 |
| Boxley Downs | Vanessa Ann Jones | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 1,026 | 02 May 2024 |
| East Downs | Terry Conrad Thompson | Green Party of England and Wales | 423 | 04 May 2023 |
| Harrietsham Lenham North Downs | Janetta Sams | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 1,515 | 02 May 2024 |
| Harrietsham Lenham North Downs | Kathy Cox | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 923 | 02 May 2024 |
| Harrietsham Lenham North Downs | Tom Sams | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 1,455 | 02 May 2024 |
| Park Wood Mangravet | Daniel Robert Wilkinson | Labour Party | 492 | 02 May 2024 |
| Park Wood Mangravet | Hilary Victoria Jenkins-Baldock | Labour Party | 512 | 02 May 2024 |
| Priory | Alex Eyre | Liberal Democrats | 316 | 03 Sept 2024 |
| Senacre | Malcolm James McKay | Labour Party | 257 | 02 May 2024 |
| Shepway | Joanna Lisa Wilkinson | Labour Party | 747 | 02 May 2024 |
| Shepway | Maureen Cleator | Labour Party | 728 | 02 May 2024 |
| Shepway | Sarah Barwick | Labour Party | 725 | 02 May 2024 |
| St Anns | Carole Jackson | Labour Party | 846 | 04 May 2023 |
| St Anns | Kieran Joseph Michael Golding | Labour Party | 765 | 04 May 2023 |
| Teynham Lynsted | Julien Peter Speed | Conservative and Unionist Party | 666 | 04 May 2023 |
| Teynham Lynsted | Lloyd Bowen | Conservative and Unionist Party | 764 | 04 May 2023 |
| Watling | Ben J Martin | Liberal Democrats | 1,009 | 04 May 2023 |
| Watling | Claire Martin | Liberal Democrats | 830 | 04 May 2023 |
| West Downs | Monique Bonney | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 655 | 04 May 2023 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 101,028 | Electorate 74,301 (2024) |
| Median age | 43 | years |
| Degree-educated | 29.0% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 93.4% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 71.2% | households |
| Private-rented | 13.0% | households |
| Social-rented | 15.8% | households |
| Employment rate | 58.7% | 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.