Lancaster & Wyre / data
Cat Smith · Labour Party · sitting since 07 May 2015 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
4005days
from 07 May 2015
Divisions
345
of 504 possible
Attendance
68%
159 absent / paired
Whip alignment
99%
vs party majority
Speeches
58
24 debates
Written Qs
189
185 answered
Committees
3
1 chair
Expenses
£261k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 78 claims
Interests
2
2 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 64 | |
| Economy | 54 | |
| Crime & Policing | 43 | |
| Employment | 40 | |
| Education | 26 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 23 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 22 | |
| Pensions | 18 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Health | 7 | 6,940 |
| Cost Of Living | 6 | 5,317 |
| Social Care | 10 | 5,070 |
| Economy Jobs | 8 | 3,445 |
| Culture Community | 4 | 1,119 |
| Crime | 3 | 970 |
| Local Government | 6 | 846 |
| Environment | 1 | 372 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Jul 2025 | Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill: Second ReadingMPs voted on whether to give the Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill a Second Reading, allowing it to progress through Pa… | Rebelled | No |
| 01 Jul 2025 | Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill: Reasoned Amendment at Second ReadingMPs voted on a 'reasoned amendment' at the Second Reading of the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill — a procedural move… | Rebelled | Aye |
| 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 |
C · Speeches
| Date | Contribution | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Mar 2026 | EngagementsQ1. If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 25 March. EnergyCost Of LivingLocal Government | 12 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | EngagementsI would like to thank the Prime Minister for the £47 million that this Government have given to Lancashire county council to repair potholes. However, my constituents still feel li… EnergyCost Of LivingLocal Government | 71 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | EngagementsOn a point of order, Mr Speaker. May I seek your guidance on the rules about how many questions a Member needs to stay in the Chamber for after speaking? EnergyCost Of LivingLocal Government | 30 |
| 16 Mar 2026 | Heating Oil SupportOn behalf of my constituents, I thank the Minister for his speedy response to the situation, which I know from my inbox has been very welcome to those using heating oil, but can he… Cost Of LivingUtilitiesEconomy Jobs | 60 |
| 05 Mar 2026 | Business of the HouseLancashire county council’s consultation on the closure of care homes and adult day centres is now closed, and the decision lies with the Reform-led council. Adult day centres in m… DefenceEconomy JobsEnergy | 68 |
| 02 Mar 2026 | Representation of the People BillOn that point, will the right hon. Gentleman give way? Economy JobsCrimeCulture Community | 10 |
| 02 Mar 2026 | Representation of the People BillI thank my hon. Friend for making that point. His APPG sounds very interesting. I am sure that those on the Front Bench heard those points, and I agree with them. In my remaining t… Economy JobsCrimeCulture Community | 421 |
| 02 Mar 2026 | Representation of the People BillThose of us who are in this Chamber on a Thursday morning know that we sometimes have questions to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission then, and I say that because … Economy JobsCrimeCulture Community | 443 |
| 16 Dec 2025 | Quarries: Planning PolicyThank you for squeezing me in, Dr Murrison. In the limited time that I have, I want to put on record that the experiences of my constituents in Preesall are echoed by communities r… EnvironmentHealthLocal Government | 214 |
| 16 Dec 2025 | Quarries: Planning PolicyI thank the hon. Gentleman for making that point—it does have an economic impact on the area. Preesall is located in a beautiful corner of Lancashire, with the Wyre estuary on one … EnvironmentHealthLocal Government | 158 |
| 15 Dec 2025 | Liaison Committee (Commons) — Oral Evidence (HC 530)Thank you. Last year, rural communities, including many farmers, put their trust in Labour for the first time in a very long time and gave us a mandate for change in this country. … | 143 |
| 15 Dec 2025 | Liaison Committee (Commons) — Oral Evidence (HC 530)Do you consider farmers, many of whom get up at 4 am and work 365 days a year to feed the nation, to be working people—yes or no? | 28 |
| 15 Dec 2025 | Liaison Committee (Commons) — Oral Evidence (HC 530)You have repeatedly said that the economic mission of this Government is to be on the side of working people. Is that still your position? | 25 |
| 15 Dec 2025 | Liaison Committee (Commons) — Oral Evidence (HC 530)Prime Minister, it is an indisputable fact that political staff in No. 10 have been briefing against serving Cabinet Ministers. You and I both sat on the Opposition Benches while w… | 121 |
| 15 Dec 2025 | Liaison Committee (Commons) — Oral Evidence (HC 530)I will happily write to the Prime Minister with the details. One final question, Chair, if I may—and I do not think this will have sunk in. Is the Prime Minister aware that some fa… | 54 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Social Care | 65 | 34.4% |
| Department for Culture, Media and Sport | 21 | 11.1% |
| Department for Business and Trade | 16 | 8.5% |
| Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | 14 | 7.4% |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 11 | 5.8% |
| Department for Education | 11 | 5.8% |
| Home Office | 8 | 4.2% |
| Department for Transport | 7 | 3.7% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 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 implications for its policies of the findings of the World Cancer Research Fund’s report on dietary and lifestyle patterns for cancer p… | Pending |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that there are sufficient heating oil supplies into the UK to meet demand. | Pending |
| 15 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 prevent bowel cancer by addressing key modifiable risk factors, including alcohol. | Pending |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to improve public awareness of the bowel cancer risks associated with alcohol consumption. | Pending |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the fiscal circumstances within which the level of the Official Development Assi… | Answered |
| 23 Mar 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the role of National Cancer Lead for Rare Cancers is full-time; what the contracted FTE and weekly hours are; and what interim leadership arrangements are in place until the… | Answered |
| 23 Mar 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding has been allocated to early-stage and discovery brain cancer research in the last five years; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of that funding for bui… | Answered |
| 23 Mar 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the status of each work package within the NIHR Brain Tumour Consortium, including submission date, status, date of the latest decision and correspondence and reas… | Answered |
| 17 Mar 2026 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to page 8 of the Government's document entitled Global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security, published on 20 January 2026, what ste… | Answered |
| 17 Mar 2026 | Department for Culture, Media and Sport | To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether decision-making process on the proposed switch off the UK's digital terrestrial television will take into account the impact on low-income households, particularly in the N… | Answered |
| 17 Mar 2026 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take to help mitigate the national security risks identified in the nature security assessment on global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse an… | Answered |
| 17 Mar 2026 | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she’s taking with Cabinet Colleagues to work with voluntary organisations, such as Girl guiding, to help ensure that girls’ voices are heard in the national co… | Answered |
| 09 Mar 2026 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department plans to publish a review of the criminal law relating to pornography. | Answered |
| 09 Mar 2026 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the review of pornography law will include differences between online and offline regulation in relation to children’s access to sexually explicit material. | Answered |
| 09 Mar 2026 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department's review of the criminal law relating to pornography will consider the adequacy of existing age-verification and age-assurance measures in preventing children from accessing… | Answered |
E · Committees
| Committee | Role | House | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liaison Committee (Commons)Select | Member | Commons | 04 Dec 2024 | present |
| Procedure CommitteeSelect | Chair | Commons | 11 Sept 2024 | present |
| Procedure CommitteeSelect | Member | Commons | 11 Sept 2024 | present |
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 | 55 | 13,212 | 5.1% |
| Accommodation | 10 | 25,645 | 9.8% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 9,519 | 3.6% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 3,706 | 1.4% |
| Staffing | 0 | 206,705 | 79.2% |
| Dependant Travel | 0 | 2,042 | 0.8% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 22 | 2,242 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 11 | 1,824 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 2 | 1,364 |
| Advertising and contact cards | Office Costs | 5 | 1,173 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 1 | 720 |
| Business rates | Office Costs | 1 | 686 |
| Moving Fees | Accommodation | 1 | 669 |
| Postage & couriers | Office Costs | 6 | 295 |
| Waste disposal, confidential waste & rubbish collection | Office Costs | 3 | 213 |
| Utilities | Accommodation | 9 | 206 |
| Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Office Costs | 1 | 45 |
| Cleaning services | Office Costs | 1 | 33 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Office furniture | 1,325 | Paid |
| 28 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Advertising and contact cards | advertising board | 290 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 200 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline | 30 | Paid |
| 05 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Postage & couriers | ROYAL MAIL GROUP LTD [200011725-3907] | 120 | Paid |
| 05 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Electricity | 12 | Paid |
| 01 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline | 3 | Paid |
| 27 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline | 508 | Paid |
| 26 Feb 2025 | Accommodation Moving Fees | Agency fees | 669 | Paid |
| 25 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 71 | Paid |
| 13 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Postage & couriers | ROYAL MAIL GROUP LTD | 10 | Paid |
| 01 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline | 3 | Paid |
| 22 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner February 2025 | 112 | Paid |
| 14 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Postage & couriers | postage | 29 | Paid |
| 10 Jan 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Electricity | 14 | Paid |
| 07 Jan 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Electricity | 18 | Paid |
| 06 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline | 30 | Paid |
| 01 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline | 3 | Paid |
| 12 Dec 2024 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA January 2025 | 198 | Paid |
| 12 Dec 2024 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA January 2025 | 198 | 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
13 May 2025
Name of donor: London Marathon Events Ltd
Address of donor: 190 Great Dover Street, London SE1 4YB
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Nominal values of the hospitality given as I ran London Marathon 2025 for a local charity. London Marathon Start line Hospitality: £200. Finish line hospitality half day: £150, value £350
Date received: 27 April 2025
Date accepted: 27 April 2025
Donor status: company, registration 01528489
(Registered 29 April 2025)
4. Visits outside the UK1 entry
04 Nov 2025
Name of donor: Good Faith Partnership
Address of donor: 128B The Street, Rustington, Littlehampton BN16 3DA
Estimate of the probable value (or amount of any donation): The cost of flights (£1,324) and accommodation (£450) were met by the Good Faith Partnership LLP, which provides the Secretariat to the APPG of which I am an Officer, value £1,774
Destination of visit: Israel and Palestine (Jerusalem & the West Bank)
Dates of visit: 6 October 2025 to 9 October 2025
Purpose of visit: To meet with heads of churches, healthcare providers and policy analysts specialising in freedom of religion or belief
(Registered 29 October 2025)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 18 wards, 36 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowerham | Hamish Mills | Green Party of England and Wales | 736 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bowerham | Sarah Punshon | Green Party of England and Wales | 696 | 04 May 2023 |
| Brock With Catterall | Daniel James Bolton | Conservative and Unionist Party | 696 | 04 May 2023 |
| Brock With Catterall | David Swift | Conservative and Unionist Party | 595 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bulk | Caroline Jackson | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,140 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bulk | Jack Lenox | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,061 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bulk | Sam Riches | Green Party of England and Wales | 964 | 04 May 2023 |
| Calder | John Anthony Ibison | Conservative and Unionist Party | 386 | 04 May 2023 |
| Castle | Isabella Metcalf-Riener | Green Party of England and Wales | 524 | 14 Mar 2024 |
| Ellel | Paul Francis Tynan | Green Party of England and Wales | 733 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ellel | Sally Ann Shelley Maddocks | Green Party of England and Wales | 951 | 04 May 2023 |
| Garstang | Alice Collinson | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,050 | 04 May 2023 |
| Garstang | Dulcie Mary Atkins | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,065 | 04 May 2023 |
| Garstang | Robert James Atkins | Conservative and Unionist Party | 923 | 04 May 2023 |
| Great Eccleston | Peter Gordon Cartridge | Conservative and Unionist Party | 711 | 04 May 2023 |
| Great Eccleston | Susan Margaret Catterall | Conservative and Unionist Party | 758 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hambleton Stalmine | Julie Ann Robinson | Conservative and Unionist Party | 693 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hambleton Stalmine | Lynne Christine Bowen | Conservative and Unionist Party | 629 | 04 May 2023 |
| John Ogaunt | Grace Russell | Green Party of England and Wales | 498 | 04 May 2023 |
| John Ogaunt | Suhir Abuhajar | Green Party of England and Wales | 551 | 04 May 2023 |
| Marsh | Gina Dowding | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,241 | 04 May 2023 |
| Marsh | Mandy Bannon | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,223 | 04 May 2023 |
| Marsh | Nick Wilkinson | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,079 | 04 May 2023 |
| Pilling | Adam Michael Leigh | Conservative and Unionist Party | 318 | 04 May 2023 |
| Preesall | Ashley Sorensen | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 636 | 04 May 2023 |
| Preesall | Claire Louise Rimmer | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 1,010 | 04 May 2023 |
| Preesall | Collette Rushforth | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 938 | 04 May 2023 |
| Scale Hall | Hilda Jean Parr | Labour Party | 655 | 04 May 2023 |
| Scale Hall | Phillip Black | Labour Party | 639 | 04 May 2023 |
| Scale Hall | Ruth Colbridge | Labour Party | 663 | 04 May 2023 |
| Scotforth East | Jason Wood | Labour Party | 529 | 04 May 2023 |
| Scotforth East | Sophie Louise Maddocks | Labour Party | 607 | 04 May 2023 |
| Scotforth West | Abi Mills | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,083 | 04 May 2023 |
| Scotforth West | Tim Hamilton-Cox | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,023 | 04 May 2023 |
| University | Maria Holly Deery | Green Party of England and Wales | 96 | 04 Jul 2024 |
| Wyresdale | Charlotte Brieanne Walker | Labour Party | 396 | 04 May 2023 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 91,018 | Electorate 74,760 (2024) |
| Median age | 39 | years |
| Degree-educated | 34.9% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 91.0% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 68.7% | households |
| Private-rented | 20.7% | households |
| Social-rented | 10.5% | households |
| Employment rate | 50.6% | 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.