Ashford / data
Sojan Joseph · Labour Party · sitting since 04 Jul 2024 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
660days
from 04 Jul 2024
Divisions
469
of 504 possible
Attendance
93%
35 absent / paired
Whip alignment
97%
vs party majority
Speeches
108
63 debates
Written Qs
106
106 answered
Committees
1
memberships
Expenses
£159k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 120 claims
Interests
4
3 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 97 | |
| Economy | 90 | |
| Employment | 51 | |
| Crime & Policing | 43 | |
| Education | 41 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 30 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 26 | |
| Housing | 24 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Mp Performance | 1 | — |
| Health | 24 | 10,401 |
| Social Care | 24 | 9,714 |
| Local Government | 21 | 5,835 |
| Economy Jobs | 14 | 4,744 |
| Transport | 6 | 3,171 |
| Education | 8 | 2,698 |
| Culture Community | 6 | 2,680 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Third ReadingMPs voted on the Third Reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill — the final Commons vote on whether to pass the assisted dyin… | Free vote | No |
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 12Vote on whether to add a provision to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill ensuring that if an independent doctor dies or becomes to… | Free vote | Aye |
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 94Vote on whether to prevent someone from qualifying as 'terminally ill' under the assisted dying bill solely because they have voluntarily st… | Free vote | No |
C · Speeches
| Date | Contribution | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Apr 2026 | Pension SchemesA few weeks ago, I raised in this Chamber an issue affecting my constituent, Andrew Mackay, whose wife Katy passed away at the end of September. Both Andrew and Katy worked for Bor… Social CareFiscal PolicyMp Performance | 118 |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Representation of the People Bill (Fifth sitting)While the majority of young people already possess a bank card, they may not have other forms of ID like a driving licence or a passport. Does the hon. Member think that allowing a… Local GovernmentOther | 49 |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Gurkha VeteransIt is crucial that we continue to recognise the invaluable contributions of the Gurkhas, both militarily and in our communities, and I thank the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Cameron… DefenceSocial CareCost Of Living | 429 |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Business of the HouseOn Friday, I met my constituent Andrew Mackay, whose wife, Katy, passed away at the end of September. Like Andrew, Katy was a retired civil servant, having worked for Border Force … Local GovernmentEnergyCost Of Living | 136 |
| 18 Mar 2026 | Representation of the People Bill (Second sitting)Q I know we touched on the question of MPs not being able to help you or locate you because the digital system we use, CaseWorker, is linked to the voter register. Maybe that is wh… Other | 207 |
| 18 Mar 2026 | Representation of the People Bill (First sitting)Q Thank you. My question is to Ms Jones. We had many positive outcomes from the automatic registration pilot in Wales. Can you briefly tell us whether you faced any challenges, esp… Economy JobsLocal GovernmentOther | 112 |
| 18 Mar 2026 | Representation of the People Bill (First sitting)Q I want to ask a question about foreign donations. The Bill seeks to ensure that any company making political donations must be able to demonstrate that it has a genuine connectio… Economy JobsLocal GovernmentOther | 256 |
| 17 Mar 2026 | Meningitis OutbreakI thank the Secretary of State for his statement. I pay tribute to all the health leaders in Kent and the school leaders for their calm and quick actions yesterday and over the wee… Health | 140 |
| 12 Mar 2026 | Business of the HouseOvergrown vegetation is impeding access to footpaths on Stansfeld Avenue and Pritchard Drive in Hawkinge in my constituency. When I made representations on behalf of local resident… DefenceCost Of LivingLocal Government | 102 |
| 11 Mar 2026 | Environmental Audit Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1750)We are discussing ancient woodland as if it were all one thing. Can the panel explain what the common features of ancient woodlands are? We know that ancient woodlands are hugely b… | 53 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Environmental Audit Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1749)Finally on this, I have Hoad’s Wood near my constituency. It was originally reported in 2020 and it took many years. Some actions were taken, and I understand three people were arr… | 89 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Environmental Audit Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1749)I met the NFU in my constituency, and it thinks little is being done to clean up the dump, despite the culprits in many cases having already been identified and prosecuted. Is DEFR… | 44 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Environmental Audit Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1749)Secretary of State, we are seeing increased incidence of illegally dumped waste. Hundreds of illegal dumps are operating across our country. Most of these sites are in countryside … | 79 |
| 04 Mar 2026 | Environmental Audit Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1731)Gabrielle, if I can come to you first, we heard evidence from the previous panel on the use of horticultural peat and the impact of the Government’s proposed ban, including the eco… | 84 |
| 04 Mar 2026 | Environmental Audit Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1731)As a quick follow-on, we heard the experts on the earlier panel saying that rewetting cannot prevent wildfire. I do not know whether you have any evidence in that regard. | 30 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Social Care | 29 | 27.4% |
| Department for Transport | 20 | 18.9% |
| Home Office | 12 | 11.3% |
| Department for Education | 11 | 10.4% |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 8 | 7.5% |
| Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | 5 | 4.7% |
| Ministry of Defence | 4 | 3.8% |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 4 | 3.8% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Mar 2026 | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the rules governing data protection that require sites and services using age verification to delete submitted infor… | Answered |
| 09 Mar 2026 | Treasury | To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has had made of the potential merits of extending tax relief for pension contributions for people aged 75 and over. | Answered |
| 05 Mar 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 trends in the level of (a) respiratory disease and (b) the number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in (a) Ashfor… | Answered |
| 26 Feb 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that patients with known medical intolerances are able to be dispensed medication that is appropriate for their allergy. | Answered |
| 25 Feb 2026 | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking with international partners to help tackle organised immigration crime. | Answered |
| 03 Feb 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 trends in the level of social care standards across England; and what steps he is taking to support greater consistency of care provision. | Answered |
| 03 Feb 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 consider the development of national standards for adult social care in England. | Answered |
| 02 Feb 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of road signs used by local authorities to help prevent road causalities among (a) hedgehogs and (b) other small mammals. | Answered |
| 28 Jan 2026 | Treasury | To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the Lifetime ISA property price limit above the current £450,000 threshold for first-time buyers. | Answered |
| 22 Jan 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with private contractors working in the NHS on trade union recognition for employees. | Answered |
| 22 Jan 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with private contractors working in the NHS on paying staff the same rates as equivalent NHS staff. | Answered |
| 21 Jan 2026 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with South East Water on the continued imposition of a hosepipe ban for its customers. | Answered |
| 25 Nov 2025 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2025 to Question 81640 on Parking: Disability, whether her Department has had recent discussions with Kent County Council on its use of powers under Part IV o… | Answered |
| 25 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 effectiveness of checks on goods coming into the UK at Sevington on the protection of a) public health and b) animal health. | Answered |
| 10 Nov 2025 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve ambulance waiting times in (a) Ashford constituency and (b) Kent. | Answered |
E · Committees
| Committee | Role | House | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental Audit CommitteeSelect | Member | Commons | 05 Jan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office Costs | 92 | 13,435 | 8.5% |
| Staffing | 1 | 124,306 | 78.4% |
| Accommodation | 12 | 14,990 | 9.5% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 3,817 | 2.4% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 1,732 | 1.1% |
| Dependant Travel | 0 | 292 | 0.2% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 1 | 3,000 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 53 | 2,100 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 2 | 1,389 |
| Council tax | Accommodation | 1 | 715 |
| Utilities | Accommodation | 6 | 686 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 4 | 579 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 14 | 513 |
| Parking | Office Costs | 2 | 238 |
| Landline phone & internet - installation & equipment purchase | Office Costs | 2 | 181 |
| TV licence | Office Costs | 1 | 170 |
| Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Office Costs | 3 | 150 |
| Hospitality | Office Costs | 4 | 149 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline | 86 | Paid |
| 02 Apr 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Electricity | 152 | Paid |
| 02 Apr 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Electricity | 109 | Paid |
| 02 Apr 2025 | Accommodation Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Internet | 11 | Paid |
| 26 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | 45 | Paid |
| 18 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Internet | 65 | Paid |
| 18 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline | 21 | Paid |
| 16 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Cleaning services | POUNDLAND LTD - 1310 [200011725-5357] | 9 | Paid |
| 20 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 167 | Paid |
| 20 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 167 | Paid |
| 19 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Office furniture | 265 | Paid |
| 19 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Other office equipment | 226 | Paid |
| 19 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 205 | Paid |
| 19 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 205 | Paid |
| 19 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 205 | Paid |
| 19 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 205 | Paid |
| 19 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 205 | Paid |
| 19 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 205 | Paid |
| 19 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 90 | Paid |
| 19 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Office furniture | 72 | 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.
4. Visits outside the UK2 entries
04 Nov 2025
Name of donor: Results UK
Address of donor: DC-207, Clarence Centre for Enterprise and Innovation, 6 St George's Circus, London SE1 6FE, UK
Estimate of the probable value (or amount of any donation): Flights, hotel, travel to and from airport and meetings and subsistence, value £745.36
Destination of visit: Switzerland (Geneva)
Dates of visit: 8 October 2025 to 9 October 2025
Purpose of visit: Member of delegation of MPs who chair global health related APPGs to meet with global institutions that are working to end TB, malaria and HIV, improve immunisation coverage, and protect child health.
(Registered 22 October 2025)
17 Sept 2025
Name of donor: Be Friends Switzerland
Address of donor: Post Fach 10, 8126 Zumikon, ZH Switzerland.
Estimate of the probable value (or amount of any donation): Flights(£353), accommodation (£195), local transport (£111) and meals (£83), value £742
Destination of visit: Switzerland (Zurich)
Dates of visit: 5 September 2025 to 6 September 2025
Purpose of visit: To speak in their Kerela community Onam celebration organised by the Be Friends Switzerland.
(Registered 8 September 2025)
6. Land and property portfolio with a value over £100,000 and where indicated, the portfolio provides a rental income of over £10,000 a year1 entry
16 Aug 2024
Type of land/property: Residential property (House)
Number of properties: 1
Location: Onamthuruthu, Kottayam, Kerala, India
(Registered 26 July 2024)
8. Miscellaneous1 entry
16 Dec 2025
Appointed as honorary vice chair of the Catholic Union of Great Britain. This is an unpaid role.
Date interest arose: 4 November 2025
(Registered 9 December 2025)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 23 wards, 29 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aylesford East Stour | Al Arnold | Green Party of England and Wales | 297 | 04 May 2023 |
| Aylesford East Stour | Sojan Joseph | Labour Party | 332 | 04 May 2023 |
| Beaver | Kate Leavey | Labour Party | 470 | 04 May 2023 |
| Beaver | Lyn Suddards | Labour Party | 410 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bircholt | Simon Bower Betty | Ashford Independent | 294 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bockhanger | Diccon Jeremy Spain | Labour Party | 340 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bybrook | Alan Edward Dean | Labour Party | 261 | 04 May 2023 |
| Conningbrook Little Burton Farm | Katy Pauley | Ashford Independent | 272 | 04 May 2023 |
| Furley | Andrew Buchanan | Conservative and Unionist Party | 506 | 04 May 2023 |
| Furley | Euan Fergus Anckorn | Labour Party | 549 | 04 May 2023 |
| Godinton | Peter Feacey | Conservative and Unionist Party | 330 | 04 May 2023 |
| Highfield | Dawnie Nilsson | Green Party of England and Wales | 464 | 04 May 2023 |
| Kennington | Nathan Iliffe | Conservative and Unionist Party | 389 | 04 May 2023 |
| Mersham Sevington South With Finberry | Paul Bartlett | Conservative and Unionist Party | 365 | 04 May 2023 |
| Norman | Jo Gambling | Green Party of England and Wales | 161 | 04 May 2023 |
| Park Farm North | Ben Townend | Ashford Independent | 178 | 04 May 2023 |
| Park Farm South | Katrina Giles | Green Party of England and Wales | 239 | 04 May 2023 |
| Repton | Bernard Heyes | Conservative and Unionist Party | 337 | 04 May 2023 |
| Repton | Matthew Forest | Conservative and Unionist Party | 405 | 04 May 2023 |
| Roman | Heather Angela Hayward | Ashford Independent | 374 | 04 May 2023 |
| Singleton East | Bill Barrett | Conservative and Unionist Party | 164 | 04 May 2023 |
| Singleton West | Sally Ann Gathern | Labour Party | 277 | 04 May 2023 |
| Stanhope | Brendan Chilton | Labour Party | 215 | 04 May 2023 |
| Victoria | Charles Suddards | Labour Party | 535 | 04 May 2023 |
| Victoria | Tania Gauder | Labour Party | 588 | 04 May 2023 |
| Washford | Clive John Hallett | Labour Party | 162 | 04 May 2023 |
| Willesborough | Liz Wright | Green Party of England and Wales | 962 | 04 May 2023 |
| Willesborough | Steven Campkin | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,102 | 04 May 2023 |
| Wye With Hinxhill | Noel Ovenden | Ashford Independent | 541 | 04 May 2023 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 110,427 | Electorate 76,233 (2024) |
| Median age | 39 | years |
| Degree-educated | 29.6% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 86.0% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 66.8% | households |
| Private-rented | 18.9% | households |
| Social-rented | 14.2% | households |
| Employment rate | 61.4% | 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.