Wakefield & Rothwell / data
Simon Lightwood · Labour and Co-operative Party · sitting since 23 Jun 2022 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
1401days
from 23 Jun 2022
Divisions
317
of 504 possible
Attendance
63%
187 absent / paired
Whip alignment
100%
vs party majority
Speeches
402
61 debates
Written Qs
0
tabled
Committees
0
memberships
Expenses
£328k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 170 claims
Interests
3
2 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Economy | 65 | |
| Taxation | 58 | |
| Employment | 26 | |
| Education | 26 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 24 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 21 | |
| Crime & Policing | 19 | |
| Housing | 16 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Fiscal Policy | 1 | — |
| Labour Market | 1 | — |
| Transport | 60 | 67,943 |
| Local Government | 35 | 42,956 |
| Environment | 11 | 20,811 |
| Economy Jobs | 21 | 16,547 |
| Social Care | 4 | 8,906 |
| Housing | 2 | 2,229 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Apr 2026 | Driver and Vehicle Licensing AgencyI am grateful for the opportunity to respond to this debate on the reform of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. I appreciate the hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole (V… TransportHealthCrime | 1,504 |
| 23 Apr 2026 | Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agencyindicated assent. TransportHealthCrime | 2 |
| 23 Apr 2026 | Driver and Vehicle Licensing AgencyI will address that point in a moment. Enforcement at the roadside is a matter for the police. Supported by the DVLA, enforcement officers are working closely with trading standard… TransportHealthCrime | 177 |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Draft Train Driving Licences and Certificates (Amendment) Regulations 2026I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention. We are proud to be able to contribute towards diversifying the occupation of train driver and giving more people access to becoming dri… TransportLabour MarketEconomy Jobs | 1,293 |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Draft Train Driving Licences and Certificates (Amendment) Regulations 2026I thank the Conservative and Liberal Democrat spokespersons for their contributions. The right hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay is quite right to mention those stats on the … TransportLabour MarketEconomy Jobs | 432 |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Draft Train Driving Licences and Certificates (Amendment) Regulations 2026 TransportLabour MarketEconomy Jobs | 0 |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Draft Train Driving Licences and Certificates (Amendment) Regulations 2026I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Train Driving Licences and Certificates (Amendment) Regulations 2026. It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Mrs Harri… TransportLabour MarketEconomy Jobs | 395 |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Draft Train Driving Licences and Certificates (Amendment) Regulations 2026Committee rose. TransportLabour MarketEconomy Jobs | 2 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Dualling of the A21I am grateful to the hon. Member for Bexhill and Battle (Dr Mullan) for securing this important debate and for his continued advocacy alongside the work of the A21 reference group … TransportEconomy JobsLocal Government | 545 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Dualling of the A21As I said, there are no current plans considering dualling, but National Highways routinely considers the performance of the strategic road network as part of its route strategies … TransportEconomy JobsLocal Government | 189 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Dualling of the A21This is not to say that dualling will never happen, and it is entirely right for the hon. Member and other hon. Members to continue to advocate and build the case for such major im… TransportEconomy JobsLocal Government | 232 |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Pothole Repairs: Government FundingThis Labour Government are providing £7.3 billion for highways maintenance over four years, doubling the funding provided by the previous Government by the end of this Parliament. … TransportLocal GovernmentFiscal Policy | 78 |
| 26 Mar 2026 | A14 Environmental Mitigation: HuntingdonOn the specific topic of trees, it is an absolute scandal that something like 600,000 trees died as part of the previous Government’s road schemes—some 90% of the trees died at tha… TransportEnvironment | 53 |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Driving Test Waiting TimesIt is absolute nonsense from the Opposition. Let me tell the House what this Government have done compared with the complete inaction of the previous Government. We are changing th… TransportEconomy Jobs | 81 |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Pothole Repairs: Government FundingI am afraid that I do not recognise the hon. Gentleman’s numbers. Capital funding for highways maintenance has not been cut in Wokingham. Wokingham borough council is eligible to r… TransportLocal GovernmentFiscal Policy | 66 |
D · Written questions
No written questions tabled by this MP in our records.
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 | 146 | 36,584 | 11.1% |
| Staffing | 1 | 242,940 | 74.0% |
| Accommodation | 7 | 35,092 | 10.7% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 5,589 | 1.7% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 7,842 | 2.4% |
| Dependant Travel | 0 | 107 | 0.0% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | Office Costs | 14 | 8,107 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 62 | 6,809 |
| Utilities | Office Costs | 22 | 4,705 |
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 1 | 4,600 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 22 | 3,219 |
| Council tax | Accommodation | 2 | 1,054 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 4 | 1,053 |
| Business rates | Office Costs | 1 | 812 |
| Utilities | Accommodation | 5 | 648 |
| Waste disposal, confidential waste & rubbish collection | Office Costs | 3 | 477 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 4 | 429 |
| Cleaning services | Office Costs | 1 | 390 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Computer, laptop, PC, tablet & accessories | 9 | Paid |
| 26 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline | 12 | Paid |
| 24 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Advertising and contact cards | WWW.BANNERBUZZ.CO.UK [200011725-5391] | 13 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Sundries | 74 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 21 | Paid |
| 17 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Dual Fuel | 50 | Paid |
| 12 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Dual Fuel | 268 | Paid |
| 12 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Electricity | 55 | Paid |
| 10 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | CUTMY.CO.UK [200011725-3930] | 366 | Paid |
| 27 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 84 | Paid |
| 26 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline | 12 | Paid |
| 24 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Dual Fuel | 1,873 | Paid |
| 24 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 70 | Paid |
| 24 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Water | 64 | Paid |
| 05 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Software & applications | Teleprompter software for constituency videos | 40 | Paid |
| 04 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Software & applications | KAPWING PRO PLAN | 138 | Paid |
| 04 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | SQ ABLE GROUP - PROPE | 118 | Paid |
| 03 Feb 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Gas | 281 | Paid |
| 03 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline | 120 | Paid |
| 30 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | SQ ABLE GROUP - PROPE | 118 | 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 organisation2 entries
02 Sept 2025
Name of donor: UKREiiF (The UK's Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum)
Address of donor: 5th Floor, 133 Houndsditch, London EC3A 7BX
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £950 in buying tickets for a table at the Yorkshire Day dinner
Donor status: company, registration 15086201
(Registered 14 August 2025)
02 Sept 2025
Name of donor: Coca Cola Europacific Partners
Address of donor: Pemberton House Bakers Road Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 1EZ
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £5,000 sponsorship of Yorkshire Day dinner
Donor status: company, registration 09717350
(Registered 14 August 2025)
2. (b) Any other support not included in Category 2(a)1 entry
16 Dec 2025
Name of donor: UNISON
Address of donor: UNISON Centre, 130 Euston Road, London NW1 2AY
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £2,000 to support the production of a constituency wide leaflet
Date received: 12 December 2025
Date accepted: 12 December 2025
Donor status: trade union
(Registered 12 December 2025)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 6 wards, 6 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rothwell | Conrad Hart-Brooke | Liberal Democrats | 3,540 | 02 May 2024 |
| Stanley Outwood East | Matthew Morley | Labour Party | 2,432 | 02 May 2024 |
| Wakefield East | Natalie Walton | Labour Party | 1,754 | 02 May 2024 |
| Wakefield North | Elizabeth Rhodes | Labour Party | 1,613 | 02 May 2024 |
| Wakefield West | Hilary Gail Mitchell | Labour Party | 1,475 | 02 May 2024 |
| Wrenthorpe Outwood West | Brendan James Fraser | Labour Party | 1,558 | 02 May 2024 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 104,292 | Electorate 75,067 (2024) |
| Median age | 40 | years |
| Degree-educated | 27.3% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 86.5% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 61.8% | households |
| Private-rented | 15.8% | households |
| Social-rented | 22.4% | households |
| Employment rate | 58.1% | 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.