Sherwood Forest / data
Michelle Welsh · Labour Party · sitting since 04 Jul 2024 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
659days
from 04 Jul 2024
Divisions
422
of 504 possible
Attendance
84%
82 absent / paired
Whip alignment
100%
vs party majority
Speeches
80
42 debates
Written Qs
53
52 answered
Committees
1
memberships
Expenses
£179k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 55 claims
Interests
2
2 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 90 | |
| Economy | 74 | |
| Crime & Policing | 44 | |
| Employment | 42 | |
| Education | 38 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 28 | |
| Housing | 23 | |
| Defence and Foreign Affairs | 22 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 1 | — |
| Social Care | 14 | 6,098 |
| Health | 11 | 4,384 |
| Economy Jobs | 12 | 3,933 |
| Culture Community | 5 | 3,618 |
| Cost Of Living | 6 | 3,199 |
| Education | 4 | 2,962 |
| Local Government | 8 | 2,418 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Apr 2026 | Cost of Heating OilI thank the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Steff Aquarone) for securing today’s debate. Nearly 1,000 people across my constituency of Sherwood Forest rely solely on heating oil to … EnergyCost Of LivingUtilities | 325 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 899)Thank you. It is just to get some clarity because I know I am going to walk out of here and I am going to get some questions with regard to this. You did mention the NHS. When you … | 97 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 899)Thank you. You are tasked with developing these codes, but what role do you think the EIC should have in monitoring the effectiveness of codes and how could this be best achieved, … | 42 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 899)May I ask one more question? | 6 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 899)There is some monitoring that is required with regards to how, for example, the NHS brings that down to their individual choice and how the police— | 26 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 899)That is quite refreshing to hear, as somebody who has been heavily involved in maternity inquiries where all those trusts have a code of conduct but, when you link it into HR, that… | 69 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 899)You have a responsibility to advise public authorities on the development and oversight of clear codes of ethical conduct. Given the wide range of public authorities, how do you in… | 34 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 899)It is a very important part of it, isn’t it? | 10 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 899)To make those cogs go round is that other entity that is— | 12 |
| 13 Apr 2026 | Statutory Menstrual LeaveIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Mundell. I am pleased to take part in this debate and to stand with the 149 women in Sherwood Forest and the 109,000 people in… HealthLabour Market | 633 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Sudden Unexplained Death in ChildhoodIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir John. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Rossendale and Darwen (Andy MacNae) for securing this important debate. There can… HealthSocial Care | 325 |
| 23 Mar 2026 | Child Exploitation2. What steps her Department is taking to help tackle child exploitation. CrimeSocial Care | 12 |
| 23 Mar 2026 | Topical QuestionsT5. What urgent steps is the Minister taking to tackle antisocial behaviour in town centres such as Hucknall’s? We have had persistent disorder there, including a recent racist att… CrimeImmigrationCulture Community | 48 |
| 23 Mar 2026 | Child ExploitationIn the UK, a child is reported missing every three minutes. These children are often the most vulnerable in society, as going missing can be a key warning sign of exploitation. Des… CrimeSocial Care | 99 |
| 18 Mar 2026 | Royal Mail: PerformanceAs the proud daughter of a postie, I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. The performance of Royal Mail in parts of Sherwood Fore… UtilitiesLabour MarketEconomy Jobs | 321 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Social Care | 14 | 26.4% |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 8 | 15.1% |
| Department for Education | 5 | 9.4% |
| Treasury | 4 | 7.5% |
| Home Office | 4 | 7.5% |
| Department for Transport | 4 | 7.5% |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 3 | 5.7% |
| Department for Work and Pensions | 2 | 3.8% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Apr 2026 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to help improve processing times for the War Pensions Scheme. | Answered |
| 13 Mar 2026 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer to Question UIN 118386, answered on 11 March 2026, how many incidents of sewage discharges occurred in Sherwood Forest constituency in 2025; and w… | Answered |
| 05 Mar 2026 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to stop Severn Trent Water from discharging sewage in Sherwood Forest constituency. | Answered |
| 05 Mar 2026 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many incidents of sewage discharges occurred in Sherwood Forest constituency in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025; and which rivers and bodies of water were most affected. | Answered |
| 05 Mar 2026 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to provide better access to historic data on sewage discharges. | Answered |
| 05 Mar 2026 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to prevent senior Environment Agency staff from moving to roles in the private water industry after leaving their position. | Answered |
| 12 Feb 2026 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she had made of the potential merits of using the Consumer Prices Index for the calculation of interest charges on students loans. | Answered |
| 02 Feb 2026 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the time taken for quotes to be issued to people who are members of the Civil Service pension scheme. | Pending |
| 29 Jan 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish revised guidance for Health Building Notes. | Answered |
| 29 Jan 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the ruling over Paul versus Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust has made on secondary victims of medical negligence. | Answered |
| 22 Jan 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure local authorities fix potholes in Nottinghamshire. | Answered |
| 22 Jan 2026 | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to allocate additional funding to improve accessibility at (a) playgrounds, (b) parks and (c) recreational facilities. | Answered |
| 22 Jan 2026 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the cost of removing the three month waiting period for Child Disability Living Allowance. | Answered |
| 12 Jan 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of violence against women and girls on the number of people going missing. | Answered |
| 12 Jan 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of including missing people in future work to tackle violence against women and girls. | Answered |
E · Committees
| Committee | Role | House | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs CommitteeSelect | Member | Commons | 28 Oct 2024 | 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 | 36 | 18,120 | 10.1% |
| Staffing | 2 | 126,434 | 70.5% |
| Accommodation | 7 | 23,950 | 13.3% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 5,941 | 3.3% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 4,806 | 2.7% |
| Dependant Travel | 0 | 204 | 0.1% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Training - staff | Staffing | 1 | 10,500 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 8 | 6,690 |
| Rent | Office Costs | 10 | 4,120 |
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 1 | 3,000 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 7 | 2,335 |
| Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | Office Costs | 1 | 2,107 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 2 | 2,040 |
| Hotel - London | Accommodation | 3 | 912 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 6 | 642 |
| Utilities | Accommodation | 3 | 426 |
| Council tax | Accommodation | 1 | 329 |
| TV licence | Office Costs | 1 | 170 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 823 | Paid |
| 01 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 550 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -550 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -823 | Paid |
| 25 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Other office equipment | 3,524 | Paid |
| 25 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline & internet package | 113 | Paid |
| 25 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | WWW.BANNERBUZZ.CO.UK [200011725-7691] | 54 | Paid |
| 21 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Office furniture | 228 | Paid |
| 21 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline & internet package | 132 | Paid |
| 21 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Other office equipment | 90 | Paid |
| 21 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Insurance - contents | ARGOS [200011725-6758] | 17 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 150 | Paid |
| 18 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Computer, laptop, PC, tablet & accessories | 641 | Paid |
| 18 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 550 | Paid |
| 18 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 550 | Paid |
| 18 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 550 | Paid |
| 14 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | VIKING [200011725-5453] | 1,099 | Paid |
| 14 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | VIKING [200011725-5454] | 652 | Paid |
| 13 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 823 | Paid |
| 13 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 823 | 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.
3. Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources1 entry
13 May 2025
Name of donor: The Football Association
Address of donor: Wembley Stadium London HA9 0WS
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Two match tickets, with hospitality, for me and one other to attend the FA Cup Semi- Final, value £550
Date received: 27 April 2025
Date accepted: 27 April 2025
Donor status: company, registration 00077797
(Registered 2 May 2025)
8. Miscellaneous1 entry
16 Aug 2024
School Governor at Arnold View Primary School. This is an unpaid role.
(Registered 3 August 2024)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 15 wards, 31 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilsthorpe | Rhona Holloway | Conservative and Unionist Party | 413 | 04 May 2023 |
| Boughton | Tim Wildgust | Conservative and Unionist Party | 376 | 04 May 2023 |
| Calverton | Boyd Elliott | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,075 | 04 May 2023 |
| Calverton | Jane Maria Walker | Conservative and Unionist Party | 711 | 04 May 2023 |
| Calverton | Lorraine Kathleen Brown | Conservative and Unionist Party | 750 | 04 May 2023 |
| Dover Beck | Roger James Jackson | Conservative and Unionist Party | 668 | 04 May 2023 |
| Edwinstowe Clipstone | Andrew Freeman | Labour Party | 1,248 | 04 May 2023 |
| Edwinstowe Clipstone | Anne Celia Brooks | Labour Party | 1,172 | 04 May 2023 |
| Edwinstowe Clipstone | Paul Stephen Peacock | Labour Party | 1,330 | 04 May 2023 |
| Farnsfield | Maurice Arthur Shakeshaft | Labour Party | 604 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hucknall Central | Lee Waters | Ashfield Independents | 826 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hucknall Central | Nick Parvin | Ashfield Independents | 860 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hucknall North | Anna Ellis | Ashfield Independents | 1,277 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hucknall North | Gordon Kenneth Mann | Ashfield Independents | 1,218 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hucknall North | John Morton Anthony Wilmott | Ashfield Independents | 1,371 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hucknall South | Oliver John Hay | Ashfield Independents | 707 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hucknall South | Trevor Locke | Ashfield Independents | 845 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hucknall West | Dave Shaw | Ashfield Independents | 1,070 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hucknall West | Ian John Briggs | Ashfield Independents | 987 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hucknall West | Phil Rostance | Conservative and Unionist Party | 896 | 04 May 2023 |
| Lowdham | Tim Wendels | Conservative and Unionist Party | 594 | 04 May 2023 |
| Newstead Abbey | Martin David Smith | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,499 | 04 May 2023 |
| Newstead Abbey | Stuart Bestwick | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,470 | 04 May 2023 |
| Newstead Abbey | Sue Pickering | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,434 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ollerton | Alice Brazier | Labour Party | 963 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ollerton | Lee Robert Brazier | Labour Party | 953 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ollerton | Mike Pringle | Labour Party | 1,198 | 04 May 2023 |
| Rainworth North Rufford | Claire Penny | Labour Party | 549 | 04 May 2023 |
| Rainworth North Rufford | Linda Mary Joan Tift | Labour Party | 632 | 04 May 2023 |
| Rainworth South Blidworth | Tina Thompson | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 516 | 04 May 2023 |
| Rainworth South Blidworth | Tom Smith | Conservative and Unionist Party | 448 | 04 May 2023 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 104,642 | Electorate 78,896 (2024) |
| Median age | 43 | years |
| Degree-educated | 27.1% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 95.1% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 72.1% | households |
| Private-rented | 14.7% | households |
| Social-rented | 13.1% | households |
| Employment rate | 57.2% | 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.