Lab held for 6 consecutive elections.
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Emma Lewell
Labour PartyEmma Lewell is the Labour MP for South Shields, and has been an MP continually since 2 May 2013.
Vote on a technical amendment (New Clause 8) to ensure that Universal Credit payments for claimants in the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) group in Northern Ireland rise in line with inflation, supporting a separate duty on the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland. The amendment was backed by left-wing Labour rebels and crossbench MPs opposed to welfare cuts affecting the most vulnerable.
Vote on whether Clauses 2 and 3 of the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill should remain part of the Bill. These clauses relate to changes to Universal Credit and PIP eligibility or rates, with the vote determining whether the government's welfare reform proposals proceed through committee stage.
MPs voted on whether to pass the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill at its final stage in the Commons. The Bill makes changes to welfare benefits, including a gradual increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance, and had been debated at length including proposed amendments to speed up or expand those increases.
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Sign up freeCoverage of South Shields has been mixed for Emma across 40 recent articles.
Represented by Lab since 2024. Covers South Shields, Whitburn (South Tyneside) and Cleadon. Population 93,433. Median income £25K (below average).
Ex-Dons boss Williamson given new directorial role at South Shields
Milton Keynes Online · 9 Apr 2026
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Sign up freeMedian Income▼
£25,200
per year (HMRC 2022-23)
Mean Income▼
£31,800
per year (HMRC 2022-23)
Businesses▼
1,945
VAT/PAYE registered (ONS 2024)
Schools▼
36
26 primary, 4 secondary, 6 other
Total Income Tax▼
£178m
from 44,000 taxpayers
Median Tax▼
£2,290
per taxpayer / year
Mean Tax
£4,010
per taxpayer / year
Source: HMRC Survey of Personal Incomes, tax year 2022-23. Allocated by taxpayer residence. Covers income tax only — excludes NI, VAT, and capital gains. Sample-based estimate (~8% confidence interval).
Attainment 8▼
42.1
average score (DfE)
GCSE Pass Rate▼
58.5%
5+ GCSEs 9-4 (DfE)
2 large towns, 2 towns, 2 villages, rural areas — 90,314 total population
Source: ONS Built-Up Areas (Census 2021) + data.police.uk — crime rates are per 1,000 population (last 3 months)
Source: data.police.uk — street-level crime data aggregated from LSOA to constituency
11 councillors across 10 wards · Last elections: May 2024
| Ward | Party | Councillor | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beacon Bents | Green Party of England and Wales | Sue Stonehouse | May 2024 |
| Biddick All Saints | Green Party of England and Wales | Chris Davies | May 2024 |
| Cleadon East Boldon | Green Party of England and Wales | Rhiannon Sian Curtis | May 2024 |
| Cleadon Park | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | Steven Alexander Harrison | May 2024 |
| Harton | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | Karen Myers | May 2024 |
| Horsley Hill | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | Phil Brown | May 2024 |
| Simonside Rekendyke | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | Kenneth George Wood | May 2024 |
| Westoe | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | Kate Owens-Palmer | May 2024 |
| Green Party of England and Wales | Nicky Gynn | May 2024 | |
| Whitburn Marsden | Labour Party | Tracey Allison Dixon | May 2024 |
| Whiteleas | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | Robin Anthony Coombes | May 2024 |
Source: DCLEAPIL v1.0 by Jason Leman, LEAP (Andrew Teale) & Democracy Club. CC BY-SA 4.0. Data last refreshed: 1 Apr 2026.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2019 GEWon 2017 GEWon 2015 GEWon South Shields By-election | Lab | 15,122 | 41.1% |
| Ref | 8,469 | 23.0% | |
| Green | 5,433 | 14.8% | |
| Con | 4,128 | 11.2% | |
| Ind | 2,270 | 6.2% | |
| LD | 1,402 | 3.8% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2024 GEWon 2017 GEWon 2015 GEWon South Shields By-election | Lab | 17,273 | 45.6% |
| Con | 7,688 | 20.3% | |
| Ind | 6,446 | 17.0% | |
| Ind | 3,658 | 9.7% | |
| LD | 1,514 | 4.0% | |
| Green | 1,303 | 3.4% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2024 GEWon 2019 GEWon 2015 GEWon South Shields By-election | Lab | 25,078 | 61.5% |
Won 2019 GE | Con | 10,570 | 25.9% |
| Ind | 3,006 | 7.4% | |
| Green | 1,437 | 3.5% | |
| LD | 681 | 1.7% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2024 GEWon 2019 GEWon 2017 GEWon South Shields By-election | Lab | 18,589 | 51.3% |
| Ind | 7,975 | 22.0% | |
| Con | 6,021 | 16.6% | |
| Green | 1,614 | 4.5% | |
| Ind | 1,427 | 3.9% | |
| LD | 639 | 1.8% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2024 GEWon 2019 GEWon 2017 GEWon 2015 GE | Lab | 12,493 | 50.5% |
| Ind | 5,988 | 24.2% | |
| Con | 2,857 | 11.6% | |
| Ind | 1,331 | 5.4% | |
| Ind | 750 | 3.0% | |
| Ind | 711 | 2.9% | |
| LD | 352 | 1.4% | |
| Ind | 197 | 0.8% | |
| Ind | 57 | 0.2% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lab | 18,995 | 52.0% | |
| Con | 7,886 | 21.6% | |
| LD | 5,189 | 14.2% | |
| Ind | 2,382 | 6.5% | |
| Green | 762 | 2.1% | |
| Ind | 729 | 2.0% | |
| Ind | 316 | 0.9% | |
| Ind | 168 | 0.5% | |
| Ind | 91 | 0.3% |
Emma Lewell has not appeared in national political news coverage tracked by our system. This is common for backbench MPs who focus on constituency-level work rather than national policy debates.
16 articles hidden as not sufficiently relevant to this constituency
Former MK Dons manager Mike Williamson has joined South Shields FC in a new Director of Performance and Culture role at the National League North club. The appointment is part of a broader restructuring effort by South Shields, which currently sits second in the league with four games remaining.
A vape shop on King Street in central South Shields has been shut down by South Tyneside Council after a police raid discovered 5,640 illegal cigarettes and hand-rolled tobacco hidden in a sophisticated wall compartment. The shop, run by Dana Karim, continued selling illicit tobacco products despite multiple warnings, leading magistrates to grant a full closure order.
A cannabis farm worth £55,000 was discovered and dismantled on Ashley Road in South Shields by Northumbria Police on March 26, with a 19-year-old arrested and released on bail. The operation highlights local police efforts against drug-related organised crime in the constituency.
UK Docks, a South Shields-based company, has secured a major contract with the Bangladesh Navy to restore the former HMS Enterprise, a decommissioned vessel that will be towed to Teesside for work throughout 2026. The multi-million-pound project will create approximately 23 new jobs and reinforce the region's position as a maritime engineering hub.
South Tyneside Council is considering a planning application to convert a mid-terrace house on Pollard Street in South Shields into a six-bedroom HMO. The application comes after the council introduced an Article 4 Direction in 2025 requiring planning permission for all HMOs, and the developer argues the scheme would efficiently add housing without impacting the street scene or neighbouring amenity.
A man in his 60s suffered life-threatening injuries in a collision between a car and electric tricycle on the A183 Coast Road in South Shields on Tuesday morning. Northumbria Police is appealing for witnesses to help establish the cause of the incident.
Princess Anne visited South Shields last week, attending a 100-year celebration at Colmans fish and chips on Ocean Road and the 160th anniversary of the South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade. The visit generated significant local media attention and publicity for both institutions, with the brigade particularly benefiting as a charity dependent on donations.
South Tyneside Council is organising Armed Forces Day celebrations in South Shields on June 21, 2026, featuring a motorcycle ride of around 500 bikers from Sunderland to Bents Park. The event aims to celebrate the armed forces community, with proceeds from the £5 bike ride entry going to charity.
A collision on the A183 Coast Road in South Shields closed both lanes for approximately 4.5 hours on Tuesday, April 7, before reopening around 3:30pm. Emergency services attended the scene near the Redwell Lane junction, causing significant disruption to this key local route.
A significant industrial fire occurred at Mitre Place Industrial Estate in South Shields on April 5, with smoke visible across Tyneside. Emergency services extinguished the fire by 7pm with no injuries reported; police have confirmed the incident is not being treated as malicious and will refer the case to the Health and Safety Executive.
South Shields Surf School is offering free surfing sessions to children on free school meals, with alternative activities like paddleboarding and snorkelling if conditions don't permit. The initiative aims to make water sports accessible to local young people aged 8-16 through their community interest company model.
A feature article about the Nexus Learning Centre in South Shields and its state-of-the-art Metro train simulator used to train drivers on the new fleet. The centre trains both existing drivers and new cohorts of trainees, with the simulator being crucial to ensuring staff are fully prepared for the modernised trains.
Bright Futures, a South Shields-based charity, is supporting young women who cannot access mainstream education, having already helped 24 individuals since September 2025. The programme focuses on building confidence and wellbeing rather than discipline, with early results showing improved attendance, increased confidence, and some participants successfully returning to mainstream education.
South Shields Museum and Art Gallery is hosting animal handling and interaction sessions for children aged 4+ during school holidays, with sessions in April and October. The activity is aimed at families in the local area seeking educational entertainment.
The Rattler, a beloved seaside bar in South Shields with iconic converted train carriages, is undergoing renovation and set to reopen on May 1, 2025. The transformation is nearing completion, with plans for a World Cup Fan Zone and summer events including Band Fest.
A major tyre fire broke out at storage units in Tyne Dock, South Shields on Easter Sunday, requiring four fire crews to respond. The blaze caused significant damage to the storage facility and a nearby florist, with black smoke affecting residents and businesses across the area.
Scott Tyrell, a South Shields-born animator, has had his mental health awareness film 'Any One Of Us' shortlisted in the prestigious Smiley Charity Film Awards. The film, created in partnership with Sunderland mental health charity Headlight, aims to raise awareness about mental health issues and is now in the final judging phase of the world's largest cause-based film campaign.
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Ferry View, a new riverside café at South Shields ferry terminal, has applied to extend its opening hours from 7pm to 9pm daily. The application includes assurances that no live music will be played after 7pm to address concerns from nearby residential properties.
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A 27-year-old South Shields mother, Kaitlyn Spearman, is hospitalised with meningitis B and is speaking out about her experience to raise awareness of the disease's symptoms in the local area. She is determined to highlight the warning signs, particularly the persistent headache that preceded her rash, to help others in Tyneside recognise the condition earlier.
A charity drag cabaret show called 'Cancer is a Drag' is being held at The Stag's Head pub in South Shields on April 24, featuring drag performers and entertainment including boozy bingo and raffles. All proceeds will go to support people living with cancer.
A new planning application has been submitted to convert the Annie McCarthy's pub site in South Shields town centre into an 18-bed co-living development for young professionals, an increase from the previously approved 17-bed scheme. The revised proposal emphasizes improved communal facilities and accommodation standards, including private balconies, cinema room, and rooftop terrace.
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