Hertford & Stortford / data
Josh Dean · Labour Party · sitting since 04 Jul 2024 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
659days
from 04 Jul 2024
Divisions
484
of 504 possible
Attendance
96%
20 absent / paired
Whip alignment
100%
vs party majority
Speeches
58
43 debates
Written Qs
13
13 answered
Committees
0
memberships
Expenses
£169k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 113 claims
Interests
2
2 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 97 | |
| Economy | 91 | |
| Employment | 51 | |
| Crime & Policing | 47 | |
| Education | 41 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 30 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 28 | |
| Housing | 24 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Health | 18 | 6,871 |
| Education | 16 | 6,498 |
| Social Care | 17 | 5,784 |
| Local Government | 11 | 3,794 |
| Economy Jobs | 14 | 1,956 |
| Cost Of Living | 7 | 1,844 |
| Transport | 1 | 1,781 |
| Labour Market | 3 | 858 |
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 |
C · Speeches
| Date | Contribution | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Mar 2026 | Business of the HouseI share my residents’ anger that a Thames Water site has reportedly released over 900 hours of sewage into the River Stort, one of our precious local chalk streams, since the start… EnergyEconomy JobsLocal Government | 102 |
| 17 Mar 2026 | Youth UnemploymentI really welcome this Government’s investment in our young people’s futures, but almost half of NEET young people are disconnected from the benefit system and traditional support. … Economy JobsEducationCost Of Living | 108 |
| 11 Mar 2026 | EngagementsQ5. Too often, I hear from families of children with special educational needs and disabilities in Hertford and Stortford whose children have been left out of education for months … DefenceCost Of LivingEnergy | 113 |
| 09 Mar 2026 | Support for NEET Young People13. What steps he is taking to support young people into employment, education or training. Economy JobsEducationLabour Market | 15 |
| 09 Mar 2026 | Support for NEET Young PeopleA young person with undiagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is more likely not to be in education, employment or training. That is driven by a lack of recognition, tre… Economy JobsEducationLabour Market | 104 |
| 05 Mar 2026 | Business of the HouseMorrisons has resigned from managing the Thorley Park post office, putting the future of an important local centre at risk. I have joined with a cross-party group of local councill… DefenceEconomy JobsEnergy | 84 |
| 02 Feb 2026 | China and JapanLast Thursday, I held a public meeting with the Hong Kong community in Bishop’s Stortford. We met to discuss the proposed changes to indefinite leave to remain, but there was real … DefenceEconomy JobsTechnology | 120 |
| 27 Jan 2026 | Commonhold and Leasehold ReformToday, I think of one of the very first constituents I saw at one of my surgeries, who was trying to sell one of her leasehold properties just to help fund the care of her mother. … HousingCost Of LivingLocal Government | 71 |
| 20 Jan 2026 | ADHD DiagnosisA number of colleagues have spoken movingly about the individual circumstances of their constituents. I want to speak about individual circumstances, as I was diagnosed with ADHD l… HealthSocial CareEducation | 328 |
| 15 Jan 2026 | Restoration and Renewal: Member ConsultationI thank my hon. Friend for his answer and for the board’s engagement with parliamentary colleagues. A full decant from Parliament is among the options for colleagues to consider as… Culture CommunityEconomy JobsLocal Government | 87 |
| 15 Jan 2026 | Restoration and Renewal: Member Consultation8. What recent progress the client board has made on consulting hon. Members on the restoration and renewal programme. Culture CommunityEconomy JobsLocal Government | 19 |
| 10 Dec 2025 | EngagementsQ8. Of the almost 1 million young people not in education, employment or training, hundreds of thousands are disconnected from the system entirely. Youth workers have a unique abil… HealthEducationCost Of Living | 95 |
| 26 Nov 2025 | Young People not in Education, Employment or TrainingIt is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Dowd. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Amber Valley (Linsey Farnsworth) for securing the debate. Of the almost 1 million yo… EducationEconomy JobsSocial Care | 358 |
| 25 Nov 2025 | Health Inequalities10. What steps his Department is taking to tackle health inequalities impacting women in the NHS. HealthSocial Care | 16 |
| 25 Nov 2025 | Health InequalitiesWhen my constituent Rachel attended numerous A&E departments with severe abdominal pain, swelling, fever and nausea, her fears of a ruptured ovarian cyst were repeatedly dismis… HealthSocial Care | 121 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department for Culture, Media and Sport | 6 | 46.2% |
| Department for Work and Pensions | 2 | 15.4% |
| Home Office | 2 | 15.4% |
| Cabinet Office | 1 | 7.7% |
| Department for Education | 1 | 7.7% |
| Department of Health and Social Care | 1 | 7.7% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Apr 2026 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support individuals over 50 back into employment. | Answered |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support people over the age of 50 out of work to return to work. | Answered |
| 02 Mar 2026 | Department for Culture, Media and Sport | To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to introduce new duties on councils to deliver youth services. | Answered |
| 02 Mar 2026 | Department for Culture, Media and Sport | To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to increase revenue funding for youth services. | Answered |
| 11 Feb 2026 | Department for Culture, Media and Sport | To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she had with Cabinet colleagues on the implementation of the National Youth Strategy. | Answered |
| 10 Feb 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed retrospective changes to settlement requirements for European Communities Association Agreement visa holders on leve… | Answered |
| 10 Feb 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the economic contribution to the UK of (a) holders of European Communities Association Agreement Turkish Businessperson visas and… | Answered |
| 27 Nov 2025 | Department for Culture, Media and Sport | To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help support cross-Departmental coordination of the implementation of the National Youth Strategy. | Answered |
| 24 Nov 2025 | Department for Culture, Media and Sport | To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the development of the National Youth Strategy, including on aligning youth employment policy. | Answered |
| 01 Jul 2025 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment his Department has made on the potential merits of using (a) local and (b) regional newspapers for government advertising. | Answered |
| 01 Jul 2025 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the ADHD taskforce in helping to reduce waiting lists for ADHD treatment in (a) Hertford and Stortford constitu… | Answered |
| 27 Mar 2025 | Department for Culture, Media and Sport | To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent progress her Department has made on developing the National Youth Strategy. | Answered |
| 08 Oct 2024 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what financial support is available for school-owned leisure centres that have had departmental funding removed following changes to the Educational and Skills Funding Agency. | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staffing | 15 | 136,805 | 80.8% |
| Office Costs | 92 | 32,146 | 19.0% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 399 | 0.2% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bought-in services | Staffing | 12 | 38,314 |
| Rent | Office Costs | 9 | 10,030 |
| Business rates | Office Costs | 6 | 4,532 |
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 1 | 3,000 |
| Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | Office Costs | 2 | 2,639 |
| Mobile telephone - equipment purchase | Office Costs | 2 | 2,386 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 25 | 2,383 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 1 | 1,880 |
| Utilities | Office Costs | 4 | 1,725 |
| Recruitment Services &Costs | Office Costs | 2 | 1,716 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 3 | 1,532 |
| Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Office Costs | 12 | 638 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 334 | Paid |
| 11 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 334 | Paid |
| 11 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 205 | Paid |
| 11 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 205 | Paid |
| 11 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 205 | Paid |
| 11 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 205 | Paid |
| 05 Apr 2025 | Staffing Bought-in services | Professional & consultancy | 562 | Paid |
| 01 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Mobile telephone - contract & usage | Mobile phone services March 2025 [200011803-60] | 65 | Paid |
| 01 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline & internet package | 57 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Cleaning services | Cleaning constituency office March 2025 [200011802-220] | 60 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -1,170 | Paid |
| 30 Mar 2025 | Staffing Bought-in services | Professional & consultancy | 5,381 | Paid |
| 27 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 1,400 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 95 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 49 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 47 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 47 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 16 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 16 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 14 | 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.
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
02 Sept 2025
Type of land/property: Residential property (Flat)
Number of properties: 1
Location: East Hertfordshire
Interest held: from 18 July 2025
Rental income: from 18 July 2025
(Registered 13 August 2025)
8. Miscellaneous1 entry
15 Jul 2025
Trustee of Future Living, a domestic abuse charity based in Hertford. This is an unpaid role.
Date interest arose: 11 June 2025
(Registered 8 July 2025)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 16 wards, 35 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishops Stortford All Saints | Chris Wilson | Liberal Democrats | 679 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bishops Stortford All Saints | Martin Paul Adams | Liberal Democrats | 722 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bishops Stortford Central | David John Jacobs | Labour Party | 803 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bishops Stortford Central | Yvonne Roger Estop | Labour Party | 811 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bishops Stortford North | Mione Goldspink | Liberal Democrats | 986 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bishops Stortford North | Miriam Joy Swainston | Liberal Democrats | 941 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bishops Stortford North | Sarah Ann Copley | Liberal Democrats | 1,028 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bishops Stortford Parsonage | Calvin Laurie Horner | Liberal Democrats | 921 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bishops Stortford Parsonage | Richard George Victor Townsend | Liberal Democrats | 741 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bishops Stortford South | Diane Lavinia Elizabeth Hollebon | Conservative and Unionist Party | 425 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bishops Stortford South | Simon Marlow | Liberal Democrats | 480 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bishops Stortford Thorley Manor | David Edward John Willcocks | Labour Party | 1,094 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bishops Stortford Thorley Manor | Graham McAndrew | Conservative and Unionist Party | 961 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bishops Stortford Thorley Manor | John Fraser Wyllie | Conservative and Unionist Party | 932 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hertford Bengeo | Alex Daar | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,518 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hertford Bengeo | Ben Crystall | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,878 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hertford Bengeo | Vicky Smith | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,578 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hertford Castle | Rachel Elizabeth Carter | Green Party of England and Wales | 601 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hertford Castle | Sarah Jane Hopewell | Green Party of England and Wales | 561 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hertford Kingsmead | Carl Andrew Brittain | Green Party of England and Wales | 851 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hertford Kingsmead | Maura Catherine Connolly | Green Party of England and Wales | 782 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hertford Kingsmead | Vicky Glover-Ward | Green Party of England and Wales | 768 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hertford Sele | Carolyn Ann Redfern | Labour Party | 708 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hertford Sele | Thomas Nahum Clements | Labour Party | 720 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hunsdon | John Nevin Dunlop | Green Party of England and Wales | 363 | 04 May 2023 |
| Much Hadham | Ian Devonshire | Conservative and Unionist Party | 418 | 04 May 2023 |
| Sawbridgeworth | Angus James Parsad-Wyatt | Conservative and Unionist Party | 760 | 04 May 2023 |
| Sawbridgeworth | Eric Henry Buckmaster | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,056 | 04 May 2023 |
| Sawbridgeworth | Ruth Buckmaster | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,311 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ware Priory | George Robert Kenneth Williams | Green Party of England and Wales | 892 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ware Priory | Graeme Crerar Hill | Green Party of England and Wales | 796 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ware St Marys | Martin Francis Butcher | Green Party of England and Wales | 973 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ware St Marys | Steven Graham Watson | Green Party of England and Wales | 857 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ware Trinity | Chris Hart | Green Party of England and Wales | 797 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ware Trinity | Nick Cox | Green Party of England and Wales | 713 | 04 May 2023 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 109,556 | Electorate 78,915 (2024) |
| Median age | 41 | years |
| Degree-educated | 40.0% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 91.1% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 69.6% | households |
| Private-rented | 17.4% | households |
| Social-rented | 12.9% | households |
| Employment rate | 64.1% | 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.