Sunderland Central / data
Lewis Atkinson · Labour Party · sitting since 04 Jul 2024 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
659days
from 04 Jul 2024
Divisions
451
of 504 possible
Attendance
89%
53 absent / paired
Whip alignment
100%
vs party majority
Speeches
152
63 debates
Written Qs
17
17 answered
Committees
3
memberships
Expenses
£221k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 101 claims
Interests
3
2 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 81 | |
| Economy | 79 | |
| Employment | 50 | |
| Crime & Policing | 45 | |
| Education | 39 | |
| Housing | 24 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 24 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 23 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | 2 | — |
| Education | 1 | — |
| Economy Jobs | 23 | 6,489 |
| Social Care | 15 | 5,617 |
| Crime | 12 | 4,554 |
| Culture Community | 5 | 4,338 |
| Health | 13 | 3,708 |
| Labour Market | 5 | 3,226 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Apr 2026 | English Devolution and Community Empowerment BillI will speak to Lords amendment 41, regarding putting the agent of change principle on a statutory basis, particularly ensuring that new developments have a noise impact assessment… Local GovernmentHousingEnvironment | 489 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Knife CrimeMy family sadly knows the devastating consequences of knife crime. As the Government launch their welcome action plan today, I think of my cousin David Charlton, who was killed wit… Crime | 137 |
| 13 Apr 2026 | Disclosure and Safeguarding: At-risk ChildrenI beg to move, That this House has considered e-petition 731497 relating to a disclosure and safeguarding mechanism for at-risk children. It is a pleasure to serve under your chair… CrimeSocial CareEducation | 2,096 |
| 13 Apr 2026 | Disclosure and Safeguarding: At-risk ChildrenI thank the Minister for his response and the very welcome commitment that he has made to involve the family in the development of the statutory guidance. As he alludes to, family … CrimeSocial CareEducation | 86 |
| 13 Apr 2026 | Topical QuestionsCan the Minister outline how the new national homelessness strategy will provide additional funds to Sunderland city council to tackle rough sleeping and to support the vital work … HousingLocal Government | 48 |
| 13 Apr 2026 | Disclosure and Safeguarding: At-risk ChildrenI thank all Members for contributing to this important and serious debate. As we can tell from the Members present, this issue has a particular north-east focus, because it was our… CrimeSocial CareEducation | 361 |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Business of the HouseSunderland is a happier place than Mar-a-Lago at the moment. Perhaps that is why the leader of Reform UK, the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage), is visiting today, having call… Local GovernmentEnergyCost Of Living | 130 |
| 09 Mar 2026 | Immigration PolicyAlong with Home Affairs Committee colleagues, I spent time in northern France last year seeing the challenges of intercepting small boats. The French maritime doctrine has clearly … Immigration | 70 |
| 03 Mar 2026 | Home Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 986)On that point, we heard evidence from the Association of Digital Verification Professionals. I think it fair to say that there was a level of scepticism about whether—given the ind… | 76 |
| 03 Mar 2026 | Home Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 986)Chief Secretary, you have mentioned the provision of some other identity services through the private sector. What role do you see existing digital identity providers playing in th… | 32 |
| 03 Mar 2026 | Home Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 986)On reflection, given that prize, has the way this was initially announced as a mandatory thing risked undermining public opinion on the potential significant benefits that you outl… | 28 |
| 03 Mar 2026 | Home Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 986)Just picking up on that point, Chief Secretary, there was clearly significant public opposition to mandatory elements of this. There is purely mandatory, and then there is de facto… | 104 |
| 03 Mar 2026 | Home Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 986)Without saying your preferred outcome at this stage, as it depends on consultation responses, is it a potential outcome that the Government pursue mandatory digital checks and digi… | 41 |
| 24 Feb 2026 | Access to Mental Health ServicesAnalysis by Rethink Mental Illness of the latest NHS waiting time statistics shows that people are eight times more likely to wait over 18 months for mental health treatment than p… Health | 60 |
| 24 Feb 2026 | Backbench Business Committee — Oral Evidence (2026-02-24)As Matt alluded to, there have been significant changes, including just today with the announcement of supplementary estimates in terms of the courts system. For example, there has… | 134 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Social Care | 5 | 29.4% |
| Department for Transport | 4 | 23.5% |
| Ministry of Justice | 2 | 11.8% |
| Home Office | 2 | 11.8% |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 1 | 5.9% |
| Ministry of Defence | 1 | 5.9% |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 1 | 5.9% |
| Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | 1 | 5.9% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Mar 2026 | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the causes of homelessness in Sunderland Central constituency. | Answered |
| 02 Mar 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she can list the (a) Ministerial responsibilities and (b) the responsibilities and reporting arrangements of any relevant cross-departmental units in relation to drugs policy. | Answered |
| 11 Feb 2026 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average Crown Court waiting time is for sexual offences in England and (b) Northumbria Local Criminal Justice Board; and what steps he is taking to help reduce those waiting times. | Answered |
| 05 Feb 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the performance of Network Rail and Northern Trains in the refurbishment of Sunderland station. | Answered |
| 04 Feb 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the (a) retention of DVSA employed driving test examiners and (b) pay of DVSA driving test examiners in comparison to the earnings of private secto… | Answered |
| 04 Feb 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) average and (b) longest waiting time was for a driving test in each of the the test centres in the North East region in each of the last ten years. | Answered |
| 08 Jan 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of funding of HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services. | Answered |
| 02 Jan 2026 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the suitability of the current upper age limits for former members of the Armed Forces seeking to join the Reserve Forces, in the context of the Governmen… | Answered |
| 25 Nov 2025 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time is for a driving test in (a) Sunderland and (b) neighbouring test centres; and how many additional driving examiners have been recruited to test centres in the North… | Answered |
| 19 Nov 2025 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of NHS neighbourhood mental health service pilot sites; and how learning from those sites will be used to inform his Department's fut… | Answered |
| 10 Nov 2025 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of introducing method of production labelling to (a) the economy and (b) farm incomes. | Answered |
| 10 Oct 2025 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of (a) the accuracy of officially reported numbers of opioid related deaths and (b) the potential implications for his policies. | Answered |
| 26 Aug 2025 | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with international partners to help tackle irregular migration to the UK. | Answered |
| 10 Jul 2025 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to routinely publish waiting time data for community adult mental health services. | Answered |
| 19 Jun 2025 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress his Department has made on the rollout of Naloxone supply network coordinators. | Answered |
E · Committees
| Committee | Role | House | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Affairs CommitteeSelect | Member | Commons | 27 Oct 2025 | present |
| Petitions CommitteeSelect | Member | Commons | 28 Oct 2024 | present |
| Statutory Instruments (Select Committee)Select | Member | Commons | 14 Oct 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 | 76 | 27,839 | 12.6% |
| Accommodation | 11 | 23,441 | 10.6% |
| Staffing | 2 | 158,430 | 71.8% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 6,675 | 3.0% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 4,290 | 1.9% |
| Dependant Travel | 0 | 80 | 0.0% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | Accommodation | 7 | 22,079 |
| Rent | Office Costs | 11 | 7,393 |
| Postage & couriers | Office Costs | 3 | 5,809 |
| Pooled staffing services | Office Costs | 1 | 3,000 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 11 | 2,912 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 5 | 2,246 |
| Hotel - London | Accommodation | 4 | 1,362 |
| Advertising and contact cards | Office Costs | 3 | 1,341 |
| Bought-in services | Office Costs | 1 | 1,200 |
| Waste disposal, confidential waste & rubbish collection | Office Costs | 7 | 1,116 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 7 | 947 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 11 | 772 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Waste disposal, confidential waste & rubbish collection | RESTORE DATASHRED [200011782-588] | 318 | Paid |
| 01 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 1,133 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Bought-in services | Comms & Media | 1,200 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline & internet package | 113 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Cleaning services | SUNDERLAND CC [200011725-10666] | 57 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -421 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -1,133 | Paid |
| 25 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Hospitality | AMAZON [***] [200011725-10506] | 29 | Paid |
| 25 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Other office equipment | 20 | Paid |
| 25 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Hospitality | AMAZON [***] [200011725-10507] | 9 | Paid |
| 25 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Other office equipment | 4 | Paid |
| 18 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | AMAZON [***] [200011725-7182] | 240 | Paid |
| 17 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Postage & couriers | Delivery of leaflets and contact details to constituents | 5,376 | Paid |
| 17 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Advertising and contact cards | Leaflet pronting | 1,068 | Paid |
| 17 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline | 42 | Paid |
| 10 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | [200011725-5608] | 44 | Paid |
| 10 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | [200011725-5606] | 42 | Paid |
| 10 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | [200011725-5607] | 22 | Paid |
| 10 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | [200011725-5609] | 22 | Paid |
| 06 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 3,750 | 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.
7. (i) Shareholdings: over 15% of issued share capital1 entry
16 Aug 2024
Name of company or organisation: Labour Networks Ltd (a dormant company)
Nature of business: Communications with Labour Party members
Interest held: until 2 September 2025
(Registered 3 August 2024; updated 2 September 2025)
8. Miscellaneous2 entries
20 Aug 2025
Director of Labour Networks Ltd - a dormant, non-trading company.
Date interest ended: 2 September 2025
(Registered 4 August 2024; updated 2 September 2025)
16 Aug 2024
Vice Chair of Labour North Regional Executive Committee.
(Registered 25 July 2024)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 9 wards, 9 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnes | Fiona Tobin | Labour Party | 1,191 | 02 May 2024 |
| Fulwell | Michael Peter Hartnack | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,379 | 02 May 2024 |
| Hendon | Stephen Lewis Elms | Labour Party | 976 | 02 May 2024 |
| Millfield | Niall Dane Hodson | Liberal Democrats | 1,450 | 02 May 2024 |
| Pallion | Steven Boyd Donkin | Liberal Democrats | 1,147 | 02 May 2024 |
| Ryhope | Helen Glancy | Labour Party | 1,356 | 02 May 2024 |
| Southwick | Kelly Chequer | Labour Party | 1,141 | 02 May 2024 |
| St Michaels | Lyall Jonathan Reed | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,525 | 02 May 2024 |
| St Peters | David Newey | Labour Party | 1,167 | 02 May 2024 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 94,273 | Electorate 76,145 (2024) |
| Median age | 42 | years |
| Degree-educated | 28.9% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 89.2% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 59.8% | households |
| Private-rented | 20.1% | households |
| Social-rented | 20.1% | 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.