Yorkshire and The Humber · England · 69,459Boundary · 2023

Rother Valley

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Dispatch
Apr 2026

A marginal seat — won by just 998 votes (2.4%) in 2024. Covers Swallownest and Aston, Maltby and Dinnington (Rotherham). Population 95,139.

A government loyalist with a distinctive local focus, Jake Richards has made male suicide prevention his most visible personal campaign since entering parliament in 2024. He raised the issue at Prime Minister's Questions -- citing the statistic that 108 men die by suicide every week in England and Wales -- secured government backing, and established an All-Party Parliamentary Group on the subject, working directly with support organisations in Maltby, Dinnington, and Kiveton Park. In September 2025 he was appointed to a government role, giving him greater leverage to press for investment in Rother Valley.

Richards has cast 372 of 492 votes (76%, slightly below the Commons average) and has not once broken from the Labour whip. His stance profile reflects orthodox Labour priorities -- strongly aligned with workers' rights (90%) and progressive taxation (97%) -- but he sits notably below his party average on climate action (37% vs the party's 52%) and welfare expansion (38% vs 49%), and registers a higher-than-average opposition to assisted dying. His speeches concentrate heavily on crime (57 contributions), social care (43), and health (31), consistent with both his APPG work and his constituency's priorities.

372
Commons votes
This parliament
£27k
Median income
HMRC · 2024
69.5k
Electorate
2024 GE

Lab regained this seat from Con — last held it in 2017.

Current Member of Parliament

Jake Richards

Jake Richards

Labour Party

Jake Richards is the Labour MP for Rother Valley, and has been an MP continually since 4 July 2024. He currently holds the Government posts of Assistant Whip, and Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice).

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Voting at a Glance

A marginal seat — won by just 998 votes (2.4%) in 2024. Covers Swallownest and Aston, Maltby and Dinnington (Rotherham). Population 95,139.

2024 General Election

§ 06This week in Westminster.Live · today’s sittingOrder Paper · refreshed daily

Richards’s scheduled Commons activity this week — whipped divisions, oral questions, debates — drawn from the House of Commons Order Paper.

§ 07The record, at a glance.382 divisions voted

Two readings of the same data. Issue volume shows where Richards has cast the most ballots — a proxy for engagement, not direction. Notable votes are the moments where the whip was free or where they broke ranks.

Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted · cumulative this Parliament
Taxation
79
Economy
65
Employment
45
Crime & Policing
41
Education
37
Welfare and Benefits
25
Notable votes
Free votes and rebellions — moments the MP’s own judgment matters more than the whip

No rebellions or free votes recorded yet.

§ 08The local picture.9 wards

Constituencies are not uniform. Below — the local council make-up, key facts worth knowing, and the neighbouring seats on either side.

WardCouncillorVotesParty
Anston WoodsettsDrew Tarmey1,227Liberal
Anston WoodsettsJohn Michael Blackham1,217Conserva
Anston WoodsettsTimothy James Baum-Dixon1,325Conserva
Aston TodwickJoshua Bacon1,234Conserva
Aston TodwickSarah Ann Allen1,090Labour P
Aughton SwallownestLyndsay Pitchley879Labour P
Aughton SwallownestRobert Paul Taylor730Labour P
DinningtonAmanda Marie Clarke1,196Labour P
DinningtonJulz Hall1,397Conserva
DinningtonSophie Dack1,252Conserva
Hellaby Maltby WestLynda Jayne Stables911Conserva
Hellaby Maltby WestSimon Ashley Ball994Conserva
Population (2021 Census)
95,139
Electorate 69,459 · 2024 register
Median income
£27,400
HMRC SPI 2024
Households renting privately
13.9%
England average 20.0%
Schools
47
34 primary · 7 secondary
Next · dig deeperEvery division, question, speech and committee record

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More constituency data is being added, including local issue analysis and historical trends. Learn about our methodology. View data sources & attribution.