West Midlands · England · 68,311Boundary · 2023

Stourbridge

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Dispatch
Apr 2026

Represented by Lab since 2024. Covers Stourbridge, Brierley Hill and Dudley (Dudley). Population 95,925. Median income £26K (below average).

One of Labour's more notable welfare rebels, Cat Eccles voted against her own government four times on a single day in July 2025, opposing the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill at committee stage and third reading, and backing amendments to protect disabled people with fluctuating conditions and to inflation-proof payments for the most vulnerable in Northern Ireland. More recently, she broke ranks again in March 2026 to vote against the government's 2.71% tuition fee increase -- a rare act of dissent on an issue where the Conservatives were also critical. Off the floor, she has been active in the local press: raising struggling Stourbridge hospitality businesses at Prime Minister's Questions, calling for an investigation into high street grooming claims, and hosting a cross-party campaign linking animal welfare to domestic violence prevention.

At 53% voting participation, Eccles is notably below the Commons average, though her 96.9% party alignment on votes she does attend marks her as broadly loyal outside welfare and education. Her stance profile shows strong alignment with workers' rights (93%) and progressive taxation (95%), but she sits well to the left of her party on disability and welfare -- scoring 100% on pro-disability-benefits votes against a Labour average of 12%, a gap of 88 percentage points. Her speeches cluster around economy and jobs, health, social care, and crime, consistent with the local issues she pursues in the press.

257
Commons votes
This parliament
£26k
Median income
HMRC · 2024
68.3k
Electorate
2024 GE

Lab took this seat from Con after 4 consecutive elections.

Current Member of Parliament

Cat Eccles

Cat Eccles

Labour Party

Cat Eccles is the Labour MP for Stourbridge, and has been an MP continually since 4 July 2024.

Notable Votes

Vote on regulations to raise university tuition fees in England by 2.71% for 2026-27. The Labour government backed the increase, while opposition MPs (Conservatives) criticised it as an added burden on young people, despite their own party having nearly tripled fees in 2012.

MP voted NoAgainst party majorityLikely whipped

Vote on Amendment 38 to the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill, which would have provided greater certainty and protections for disabled people with fluctuating conditions while the government's review of PIP assessments (the Timms review) is ongoing. Critics argued the Bill was putting cuts before the review, leaving vulnerable people uncertain about their entitlements.

MP voted YesAgainst party majorityLikely whipped

Vote on whether Clauses 2 and 3 of the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill should remain part of the Bill. These clauses relate to changes to Universal Credit and PIP eligibility or rates, with the vote determining whether the government's welfare reform proposals proceed through committee stage.

MP voted NoAgainst party majorityLikely whipped

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Voting at a Glance

Represented by Lab since 2024. Covers Stourbridge, Brierley Hill and Dudley (Dudley). Population 95,925. Median income £26K (below average).

2024 General Election

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

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

§ 07The record, at a glance.261 divisions voted

Two readings of the same data. Issue volume shows where Eccles 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
53
Economy
45
Crime & Policing
37
Education
25
Constitution and Democracy
22
Employment
19
Notable votes
Free votes and rebellions — moments the MP’s own judgment matters more than the whip
Draft Higher Education (Fee Limits and Fee Limit Condition) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 202618 Mar 2026
No
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill Committee: Amendment 3809 Jul 2025
Aye
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill Committee: Clause 2, as amended, and Clause 3 stand part09 Jul 2025
No
§ 08The local picture.5 wards

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

WardCouncillorVotesParty
Brierley Hill Wordsley SouthAdam Davies1,160Conserva
Brierley Hill Wordsley SouthMatthew James Cook1,048Labour P
Brierley Hill Wordsley SouthWayne Little1,075Conserva
Lye WollescoteEllen Hope Cobb1,200Labour P
Lye WollescoteMohammed Hanif1,314Labour P
Lye WollescotePete Lowe1,318Labour P
Netherton Holly HallElaine Taylor1,433Labour P
Netherton Holly HallQasim Mughal1,182Labour P
Netherton Holly HallShaneila Mughal1,094Labour P
Pedmore Stourbridge EastIan Marshall Kettle1,924Conserva
Pedmore Stourbridge EastJames Robert Clinton1,836Conserva
Pedmore Stourbridge EastJason Thorne1,522Conserva
Population (2021 Census)
95,925
Electorate 68,311 · 2024 register
Median income
£25,800
HMRC SPI 2024
Households renting privately
14.7%
England average 20.0%
Schools
33
22 primary · 6 secondary
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