Gateshead Central & Whickham / data
Mark Ferguson · Labour Party · sitting since 04 Jul 2024 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
660days
from 04 Jul 2024
Divisions
470
of 504 possible
Attendance
93%
34 absent / paired
Whip alignment
100%
vs party majority
Speeches
50
28 debates
Written Qs
23
23 answered
Committees
0
memberships
Expenses
£192k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 137 claims
Interests
6
3 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 95 | |
| Economy | 92 | |
| Employment | 52 | |
| Crime & Policing | 42 | |
| Education | 41 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 30 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 30 | |
| Housing | 24 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Economy Jobs | 16 | 2,554 |
| Other | 2 | 2,077 |
| Defence | 8 | 798 |
| Culture Community | 2 | 777 |
| Local Government | 4 | 716 |
| Immigration | 6 | 675 |
| Housing | 2 | 594 |
| Fiscal Policy | 6 | 569 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: New Clause 2Vote on New Clause 2 to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, debated alongside related amendments including provisions on guidance,… | Free vote | Aye |
| 03 Dec 2024 | Elections (proportional representation): Ten Minute Rule Motion A vote on whether to allow a Bill to be introduced that would replace the current first-past-the-post voting system with proportional repres… | Free vote | No |
C · Speeches
| Date | Contribution | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 2025 | Co-operative Sector: Government SupportThat point is very well made, and my hon. Friend is right to be proud of his forebears, who were doughty working-class politicians and representatives of his area, as he is. The Ro… Economy JobsLocal GovernmentCulture Community | 182 |
| 20 Oct 2025 | Co-operative Sector: Government SupportIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Turner. Please do not adjust your sets: I am not the Economic Secretary to the Treasury. But I am very pleased to be here on h… Economy JobsLocal GovernmentCulture Community | 975 |
| 20 Oct 2025 | Co-operative Sector: Government SupportMy hon. Friend intervened on my maiden speech, which is slightly irregular, and now he has intervened on my first outing at the Dispatch Box. Co-operatives have a wide variety of u… Economy JobsLocal GovernmentCulture Community | 298 |
| 20 Oct 2025 | Co-operative Sector: Government SupportI have to make progress—sorry. Additionally, the Government asked the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority to produce, by the end of 2025, a report o… Economy JobsLocal GovernmentCulture Community | 394 |
| 03 Sept 2025 | House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) BillI thank my hon. Friend, although I do not think that will help me with my diet. However, I am doing the great north run on Sunday so I will probably need the calories. I am happy t… Other | 251 |
| 03 Sept 2025 | House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) BillI delighted to inform the right hon. Member about the parliamentary Labour party’s Back-Bench committee, which meets the Prime Minister weekly when Parliament is sitting. I see at … Other | 70 |
| 03 Sept 2025 | House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) BillThis has been a suitably fascinating debate. I do not plan to speak for too long, because the points have already been well made. We have had 10 hours here and 52 flippin’ hours in… Other | 351 |
| 03 Sept 2025 | House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) BillThis is a fascinating return to the ’90s—like much about the Conservative party—but I think the shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has missed the fact that there was an el… Other | 86 |
| 03 Sept 2025 | House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) BillWill the hon. Member give way? Other | 6 |
| 03 Sept 2025 | House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) BillMy long-standing views on reform of our Parliament can be looked up by any Member if they so wish. I very much welcomed, both on Second Reading and from the Front Bench today, the … Other | 281 |
| 03 Sept 2025 | House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) BillI thank the Father of the House for giving way. He makes a compelling point about other countries. Would he care to name some other countries that have people sitting in their legi… Other | 57 |
| 03 Sept 2025 | House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) BillWill the Father of the House give way? Other | 8 |
| 03 Sept 2025 | House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) BillThat is a fascinating argument. The hon. Gentleman has argued in favour of the Lords for their restraint, and now he is arguing in favour of the Lords because they allow radicalism… Other | 38 |
| 03 Sept 2025 | House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) BillI will happily take a point in a second from my hon. Friend, which I presume will be on the Lords amendment and not on oatcakes, but I wish to respond fully to the point made by th… Other | 152 |
| 02 Sept 2025 | Property TaxesIndeed. Thank God the Conservatives are not writing the Budget, because we have seen what their Budgets led to. I understand Opposition Members’ frustration. It is nice to see that… HousingEconomy JobsLocal Government | 416 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Social Care | 7 | 30.4% |
| Department for Education | 5 | 21.7% |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 3 | 13.0% |
| Department for Transport | 3 | 13.0% |
| Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | 2 | 8.7% |
| Scotland Office | 1 | 4.3% |
| Ministry of Justice | 1 | 4.3% |
| Department for Culture, Media and Sport | 1 | 4.3% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Sept 2025 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps she has taken to help reduce waiting lists for Approved Driving Instructor exams; and what recent progress her Department has made in reducing those backlogs. | Answered |
| 22 May 2025 | Scotland Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK-India free trade agreement on Scotland. | Answered |
| 28 Apr 2025 | Department for Culture, Media and Sport | To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of workplace safeguarding rights for volunteers in the third sector. | Answered |
| 09 Jan 2025 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of spending on road infrastructure in (a) the North East and (b) England over the last 15 years by (i) percentage of total D… | Answered |
| 09 Jan 2025 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the (a) total cost to the public purse for, (b) proportion of her Department’s total expenditure that was spent on and (c) spend per head for transport infrastructur… | Answered |
| 09 Jan 2025 | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support democracy in Georgia. | Answered |
| 05 Dec 2024 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the NHS supply of Futibatinib. | Answered |
| 05 Dec 2024 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding is available for patients to receive the immunotherapy drug Futibatinib through the NHS; and what criteria his Department uses to determine whether a patient is eligible… | Answered |
| 14 Nov 2024 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of qualified teacher status on the quality of teaching. | Answered |
| 08 Nov 2024 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average life expectancy is in (a) Gateshead Central and Whickham constituency and (b) each ward of that constituency. | Answered |
| 08 Nov 2024 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many kinship carers are registered in Gateshead Central and Whickham constituency; and if she will make an estimate of the average number of kinship carers registered per constituency. | Answered |
| 08 Nov 2024 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary school children are (a) eligible for and (b) registered to receive free school meals in Gateshead Central and Whickham constituency. | Answered |
| 23 Oct 2024 | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his (a) French and (b) Mozambique counterpart on the alleged massacre of civilians by Mozambican military personnel… | Answered |
| 17 Oct 2024 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much has been (a) budgeted and (b) spent by the Care Quality Commission on the (i) design, (ii) development and (iii) rollout of its new regulatory platform. | Answered |
| 10 Oct 2024 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department takes to determine the level of funding required to facilitate an adequate number of crown court sitting days in each financial year. | Answered |
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 | 83 | 27,715 | 14.4% |
| Accommodation | 39 | 10,782 | 5.6% |
| Staffing | 1 | 137,088 | 71.4% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 8,497 | 4.4% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 6,928 | 3.6% |
| Dependant Travel | 0 | 893 | 0.5% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | Office Costs | 10 | 12,000 |
| Rent | Accommodation | 11 | 8,221 |
| Website hosting and design | Office Costs | 1 | 3,780 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 12 | 3,561 |
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 1 | 3,000 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 11 | 2,474 |
| Landline phone & internet - installation & equipment purchase | Office Costs | 1 | 2,052 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 6 | 1,646 |
| Council tax | Accommodation | 3 | 1,467 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 34 | 1,338 |
| Utilities | Accommodation | 16 | 811 |
| Insurance - contents | Office Costs | 1 | 405 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 1,500 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -378 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -1,500 | Paid |
| 30 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Software & applications | BUFFER PLAN [200011725-8996] | 57 | Paid |
| 27 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Computer, laptop, PC, tablet & accessories | 36 | Paid |
| 26 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Office furniture | 432 | Paid |
| 26 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Other office equipment | 39 | Paid |
| 25 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Other office equipment | 144 | Paid |
| 25 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Other office equipment | 105 | Paid |
| 24 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Internet | 32 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 15 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 7 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 3 | Paid |
| 18 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 925 | Paid |
| 17 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Internet | 30 | Paid |
| 11 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Office furniture | 632 | Paid |
| 06 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Gas | 58 | Paid |
| 06 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Electricity | 39 | Paid |
| 05 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Website hosting and design | SKGD LTD [200011725-3425] | 3,780 | Paid |
| 05 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | SKGD LTD [200011725-3423] | 495 | 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 organisation3 entries
03 Feb 2026
Name of donor: UNISON
Address of donor: UNISON Centre, 130 Euston Road NW1 2AY
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £2,000 donation to support my campaigning
Donor status: trade union
(Registered 22 January 2026)
02 Dec 2025
Name of donor: Lord (David) Sainsbury
Address of donor: private
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £20,000
Donor status: individual
(Registered 1 December 2025)
02 Sept 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: Payment for leaflet printing, value £2,050
Donor status: trade union
(Registered 15 August 2025)
2. (b) Any other support not included in Category 2(a)1 entry
21 Oct 2025
Name of donor: UNISON
Address of donor: 130 Euston Road, London NW1A 2AY
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Accommodation at 2025 Labour Party Conference, value £900
Date received: 29 September 2025 to 30 September 2025
Date accepted: 29 September 2025
Donor status: trade union
(Registered 20 October 2025)
8. Miscellaneous2 entries
02 Dec 2025
Governor, Larkspur Community Primary School
Date interest arose: 11 November 2025
(Registered 1 December 2025)
13 Nov 2024
Co-Chair, UNISON Group of Labour MPs. This is an unpaid role.
Date interest arose: 14 October 2024
Date interest ended: 7 September 2025
(Registered 8 November 2024; updated 11 September 2025)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 11 wards, 11 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridges | Robert Lee Waugh | Labour Party | 320 | 12 Sept 2024 |
| Chowdene | John McElroy | Labour Party | 1,110 | 02 May 2024 |
| Deckham | Leigh Kirton | Labour Party | 1,079 | 02 May 2024 |
| Dunston Hill Whickham East | Peter Maughan | Liberal Democrats | 1,184 | 02 May 2024 |
| Dunston Teams | Brenda Clelland | Labour Party | 1,057 | 02 May 2024 |
| High Fell | Barry Robert Turnbull | Labour Party | 896 | 02 May 2024 |
| Lobley Hill Bensham | Catherine Donovan | Labour Party | 1,274 | 02 May 2024 |
| Low Fell | Daniel Stephen Duggan | Liberal Democrats | 1,749 | 02 May 2024 |
| Saltwell | Denise Marianne Robson | Labour Party | 1,131 | 02 May 2024 |
| Whickham North | Sonya Hawkins | Liberal Democrats | 1,331 | 02 May 2024 |
| Whickham South Sunniside | Jonathan Mohammed | Liberal Democrats | 1,238 | 02 May 2024 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 101,492 | Electorate 69,827 (2024) |
| Median age | 40 | years |
| Degree-educated | 29.8% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 91.2% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 55.9% | households |
| Private-rented | 19.6% | households |
| Social-rented | 24.3% | households |
| Employment rate | 54.6% | 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.