Melton & Syston / data
Edward Argar · Conservative and Unionist Party · sitting since 07 May 2015 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
4005days
from 07 May 2015
Divisions
393
of 504 possible
Attendance
78%
111 absent / paired
Whip alignment
100%
vs party majority
Speeches
81
45 debates
Written Qs
93
93 answered
Committees
2
memberships
Expenses
£201k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 34 claims
Interests
1
1 category
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 86 | |
| Economy | 80 | |
| Employment | 49 | |
| Crime & Policing | 35 | |
| Education | 31 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 25 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 22 | |
| Housing | 21 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Health | 15 | 10,766 |
| Economy Jobs | 17 | 8,684 |
| Transport | 15 | 8,067 |
| Social Care | 12 | 7,513 |
| Local Government | 9 | 4,922 |
| Fiscal Policy | 5 | 1,803 |
| Environment | 1 | 1,433 |
| Labour Market | 3 | 1,103 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Apr 2026 | NHS Waiting ListsAmong the things that can help reduce waiting lists and waiting times is increased use of existing community hospital facilities, such as Melton Mowbray hospital in my constituency… Health | 78 |
| 13 Apr 2026 | SEND Provision and ReformWhen I spoke in the Select Committee debate on this matter in the Chamber, I highlighted that too many parents feel that the system is done to them, rather than working with them. … EducationSocial CareLocal Government | 70 |
| 18 Mar 2026 | Student LoansThe Minister is typically generous with her time and courteous in the number of interventions she accepts. May I gently take her back to lines 3 to 4 of the text of the Prime Minis… EducationEconomy JobsFiscal Policy | 102 |
| 17 Mar 2026 | Productivity and Economic Growth: East MidlandsIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Huq. I am grateful to my constituency neighbour the hon. Member for Rushcliffe (James Naish) for securing this important debat… Economy JobsTransportLocal Government | 490 |
| 17 Mar 2026 | Meningitis OutbreakI associate myself with the Secretary of State’s remarks: the thoughts of all of us in this House are with the families of those, tragically, who have died and all those who have b… Health | 115 |
| 25 Feb 2026 | EngagementsQ1. If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 25 February. Economy JobsEducationCost Of Living | 12 |
| 25 Feb 2026 | EngagementsMay I associate myself with the remarks of the Prime Minister in respect of Team GB and Ukraine? A great former Prime Minister once said, “You turn if you want to. The lady’s not f… Economy JobsEducationCost Of Living | 128 |
| 25 Feb 2026 | Draft Surrey (Structural Changes) Order 2026My hon. Friend rightly highlights the campaign of my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Spelthorne for the new council to be named West Surrey and South Middlesex. As I underst… Local GovernmentFiscal Policy | 95 |
| 10 Feb 2026 | Railways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)Will the Minister gently give way on that point? TransportLocal Government | 9 |
| 10 Feb 2026 | Railways Bill (Thirteenth sitting)I gently take the Minister to task on that. Were not some of the first actions of Secretaries of State of this Government, when they came into office, to publish reports in which t… TransportLocal Government | 48 |
| 05 Feb 2026 | Railways Bill (Twelfth sitting)Does the Minister not see the challenge that if GBR is the single directing mind, we need to ask how it is held to account for individual decisions that it makes? Where is its acco… Transport | 152 |
| 05 Feb 2026 | Railways Bill (Twelfth sitting)The Minister says that GBR will be able to design a bespoke performance regime, but does that not go to the heart of what my hon. Friend the Member for South West Devon highlighted… Transport | 106 |
| 05 Feb 2026 | Railways Bill (Eleventh sitting)On a point of order, Mr Western. We have just dealt with a couple of amendments that the selection list described as tabled by the Opposition but were actually been tabled by the L… Transport | 77 |
| 05 Feb 2026 | Railways Bill (Twelfth sitting)I will not get into whether a peacock or a pheasant is a large or small bird—it takes me back to my days as a Health Minister, when we had a debate about whether a scotch egg is a … Transport | 159 |
| 04 Feb 2026 | Draft Energy-Intensive Industry Electricity Support Payments and Levy (Amendment) Regulations 2026I will be very brief. I will not reiterate what has been set out so eloquently by my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Buckinghamshire, the shadow Minister, nor will I reiterate what … EnergyEconomy JobsFiscal Policy | 137 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Social Care | 38 | 40.9% |
| Ministry of Justice | 23 | 24.7% |
| Department for Education | 10 | 10.8% |
| Department for Transport | 6 | 6.5% |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 4 | 4.3% |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 3 | 3.2% |
| Treasury | 2 | 2.2% |
| Department for Work and Pensions | 2 | 2.2% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04 Feb 2026 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what male supportive gender specific rape and abuse support services were commissioned directly by his Department in 2025; and if he will list each service and how much spending was allocated to ea… | Answered |
| 04 Feb 2026 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what was the number of calls to the 24/7 rape support line in a) July 2025, b) August 2025 , c) September 2025 , d) October 2025, e) November 2025 and f) December 2025. | Answered |
| 04 Feb 2026 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what percentage of calls to the 24/7 Rape Support Line were answered in a) July 2025, b) August 2025, c) September 2025, d) October 2025, e) November 2025 and f) December 2025. | Answered |
| 04 Feb 2026 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what percentage of calls to the 24/7 rape support line were answered substantively within 5 minutes in a) July 2025, b) August 2025 , c) September 2025 , d) October 2025, e) November 2025 and f) De… | Answered |
| 04 Feb 2026 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many call handlers were employed to staff the 24/7 rape support line in a) July 2025, b) August 2025, c) September 2025, d) October 2025, e) November 2025, and f) December 2025. | Answered |
| 12 Jan 2026 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of Crown Courts had specialist rape courts in place on 1 January 2026. | Answered |
| 12 Jan 2026 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when will the strategic governance review of the Probationary Service be published. | Answered |
| 12 Jan 2026 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what percentage of women sentenced to custody in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025 received sentences of six months and fewer. | Answered |
| 12 Jan 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department will publish its expanded fraud strategy. | Answered |
| 25 Nov 2025 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of (a) named day questions, and (b) ordinary written questions were responded to by his Department within the required timescale in (i) May 2025, (ii) June 2025, (iii… | Answered |
| 25 Nov 2025 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime Minister's oral contribution of 25 February 2025, official report of column 631, and the response to WPQ UIN 53059, (a) on what date the inquiry commenced, (b) on what… | Answered |
| 25 Nov 2025 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her contribution of 4 November 2024, official report column 46, and to WPQ UIN 53062, (a) on what date the leak inquiry commenced, (b) on what date it concluded and (c) when its… | Answered |
| 21 Oct 2025 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions Ministers in his Department have had with the Mayor of Leicester on local government reorganisation; and on what dates since 1 January 2025. | Answered |
| 21 Oct 2025 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total full FTE headcount employed by Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland ICS was in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025 as at 1st January of each year. | Answered |
| 21 Oct 2025 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total budget was for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board in (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-2025 and (c) 2025-6 financial years. | Answered |
E · Committees
| Committee | Role | House | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of London (Markets) BillSelect | Member | Commons | 18 Mar 2026 | present |
| Cheltenham Borough Council (Markets) BillSelect | Member | Commons | 12 Feb 2026 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | 15 | 19,615 | 9.7% |
| Staffing | 2 | 159,339 | 79.1% |
| Office Costs | 12 | 10,063 | 5.0% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 6,264 | 3.1% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 1,572 | 0.8% |
| Dependant Travel | 0 | 4,560 | 2.3% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | Accommodation | 15 | 19,615 |
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 2 | 5,263 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 7 | 798 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 5 | 639 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -185 | Paid |
| 06 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 1,650 | Paid |
| 05 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | [***] - rent overpayment - [***] | -3,300 | Paid |
| 06 Feb 2025 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 1,650 | Paid |
| 21 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA February 2025 | 132 | Paid |
| 06 Jan 2025 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 1,650 | Paid |
| 05 Dec 2024 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 1,650 | Paid |
| 05 Nov 2024 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 1,650 | Paid |
| 08 Oct 2024 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 1,650 | Paid |
| 18 Sept 2024 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline & internet package | 128 | Paid |
| 06 Sept 2024 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 1,650 | Paid |
| 17 Aug 2024 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline & internet package | 128 | Paid |
| 16 Aug 2024 | Staffing Pooled staffing services | Policy Research Unit (Conservative) | 1,715 | Paid |
| 13 Aug 2024 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner September 2024 | 200 | Paid |
| 13 Aug 2024 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner September 2024 | 138 | Paid |
| 13 Aug 2024 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA September 2024 | 85 | Paid |
| 13 Aug 2024 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA September 2024 | 85 | Paid |
| 13 Aug 2024 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA September 2024 | 85 | Paid |
| 13 Aug 2024 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA September 2024 | 71 | Paid |
| 06 Aug 2024 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 1,650 | 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.
8. Miscellaneous1 entry
04 Sept 2024
Name of donor: United and Cecil Club
Deputy Chairman of the United and Cecil Club; unpaid, honorary, role, with no control or power over the distribution of funds.
Date interest arose: 25 July 2024
(Registered 21 August 2024)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 21 wards, 40 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asfordby | Margaret Clay | Labour Party | 163 | 02 Nov 2023 |
| Bottesford | Donald James Pritchett | Conservative and Unionist Party | 602 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bottesford | James Miles Mason | Labour Party | 506 | 04 May 2023 |
| Croxton Kerrial | Alan Henry Hewson | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 289 | 04 May 2023 |
| Frisby On The Wreake | Ronan Browne | Conservative and Unionist Party | 465 | 04 May 2023 |
| Gaddesby | Bob Child | Conservative and Unionist Party | 431 | 04 May 2023 |
| Long Clawson Stathern | Christopher John Evans | Conservative and Unionist Party | 565 | 04 May 2023 |
| Long Clawson Stathern | Simon Gordon Theobald Orson | Conservative and Unionist Party | 512 | 04 May 2023 |
| Melton Craven | Ian Atherton | Conservative and Unionist Party | 250 | 04 May 2023 |
| Melton Craven | Sharon Elizabeth Brown | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 277 | 04 May 2023 |
| Melton Dorian | Marilyn Mary Gordon | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 305 | 04 May 2023 |
| Melton Dorian | Pat Cumbers | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 300 | 04 May 2023 |
| Melton Dorian | Sarah Anne Cox | Labour Party | 402 | 04 May 2023 |
| Melton Egerton | Mike Brown | Labour Party | 260 | 04 May 2023 |
| Melton Egerton | Pip Allnatt | Labour Party | 278 | 04 May 2023 |
| Melton Newport | Margaret Glancy | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 629 | 04 May 2023 |
| Melton Newport | Simon Roy Lumley | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 609 | 04 May 2023 |
| Melton Newport | Timothy Webster | Conservative and Unionist Party | 459 | 04 May 2023 |
| Melton Sysonby | Helen Louise Cliff | Labour Party | 457 | 04 May 2023 |
| Melton Sysonby | Jim Adcock | Liberal Democrats | 461 | 04 May 2023 |
| Melton Sysonby | Siggy Atherton | Conservative and Unionist Party | 438 | 04 May 2023 |
| Melton Warwick | Alison Jacqueline Freer | Conservative and Unionist Party | 360 | 04 May 2023 |
| Melton Warwick | Allen Thwaites | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 345 | 04 May 2023 |
| Old Dalby | Joe Orson | Conservative and Unionist Party | 349 | 04 May 2023 |
| Sileby Seagrave | Faye Forde | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,132 | 04 May 2023 |
| Sileby Seagrave | Geoff Lawrence | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,169 | 04 May 2023 |
| Sileby Seagrave | Naomi Bottomley | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,128 | 04 May 2023 |
| Somerby | Leigh Higgins | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 398 | 04 May 2023 |
| South Charnwood | Matthew Dean Brookes | Conservative and Unionist Party | 148 | 04 May 2023 |
| Syston | Andrew Haynes | Green Party of England and Wales | 990 | 04 May 2023 |
| Syston | David Graham Infield | Green Party of England and Wales | 926 | 04 May 2023 |
| Syston | Sarah Katherine Braker | Conservative and Unionist Party | 968 | 04 May 2023 |
| Thurmaston | Brenda Seaton | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,216 | 04 May 2023 |
| Thurmaston | Gina Jackson | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,135 | 04 May 2023 |
| Thurmaston | Mark David Lowe | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,117 | 04 May 2023 |
| Waltham On The Wolds | Richard Stuart Sharp | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 323 | 04 May 2023 |
| Wreake Valley | Chris O'Neill | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,261 | 04 May 2023 |
| Wreake Valley | Laurie Needham | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,493 | 04 May 2023 |
| Wreake Valley | Sandra Carol Woodward | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,274 | 04 May 2023 |
| Wymondham | David Joseph Chubb | Conservative and Unionist Party | 233 | 23 May 2024 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 91,294 | Electorate 74,316 (2024) |
| Median age | 45 | years |
| Degree-educated | 29.8% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 89.3% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 73.5% | households |
| Private-rented | 16.1% | households |
| Social-rented | 10.3% | households |
| Employment rate | 59.8% | 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.