Torridge & Tavistock / data
A · Overview
Issue volume
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 55 | |
| Economy | 41 | |
| Education | 28 | |
| Employment | 26 | |
| Crime & Policing | 24 | |
| Housing | 17 | |
| Schools | 17 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 12 |
Speech topics
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Crime | 1 | — |
| Defence | 3 | 1,001 |
| Mp Performance | 1 | 715 |
| Economy Jobs | 2 | 715 |
| Social Care | 2 | 286 |
| Local Government | 1 | 128 |
| Fiscal Policy | 1 | 128 |
| Culture Community | 1 | 128 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Mar 2026 | Courts and Tribunals BillThe other logical absurdity is that, under the Government’s proposed reforms, somebody with a previous conviction may well go above the three-year threshold, so those who have a st… CrimeEconomy Jobs | 47 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Courts and Tribunals BillNo, I am not giving way. Let me make that clear now. I want to finish in a moment. The reality is that jury trial is too precious a thing to lose. We are faced with a question of p… CrimeEconomy Jobs | 407 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Courts and Tribunals BillI will not take interventions now, and certainly not if they are of the quality that we have had up till now. The reality is that jury trial is the cornerstone of our justice syste… CrimeEconomy Jobs | 375 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Courts and Tribunals BillNo, I am not giving way. I am mindful of time and I must complete what I have to say. This is a time when not just this House but the judiciary and the courts are under attack. The… CrimeEconomy Jobs | 267 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Courts and Tribunals BillI agree entirely with the hon. Gentleman. Postmasters, postmistresses, postmen—those whose honesty and integrity are integral to their employment and who, for a breach of trust, wo… CrimeEconomy Jobs | 83 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Courts and Tribunals BillNot just now. I say to the House, in all conscience, that jury trial is precious. Why? It is precious because it unites all parts of the political spectrum. It is precious because … CrimeEconomy Jobs | 161 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Courts and Tribunals BillThere has always been a summary jurisdiction—invariably never for offences of dishonesty, and invariably never for offences that might lead to the destruction of the reputation of … CrimeEconomy Jobs | 210 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Courts and Tribunals BillI will give way to the hon. Member for Colchester first. CrimeEconomy Jobs | 11 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Courts and Tribunals BillI will give way to the hon. Member for Colchester (Pam Cox) first, if she can give me just two seconds. I want to develop this theme, because it is very important to me. There are … CrimeEconomy Jobs | 152 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Courts and Tribunals BillNot now—later. I will. I want to appeal to Labour Members. We are engaged in ideological strife. But in the Venn diagram that any society depends upon for the sustaining of suffici… CrimeEconomy Jobs | 64 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Courts and Tribunals BillNot just now, but I will come back to the hon. Member. We in this House are engaged in ideological strife. Every day of our lives we are engaged in a political battle, and frankly,… CrimeEconomy Jobs | 217 |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Courts and Tribunals BillI should declare an interest at the beginning. I am a member of the Bar—that is not uncommonly known—I still practise at the Bar, and I have the honour to be a criminal barrister a… CrimeEconomy Jobs | 238 |
| 21 Jan 2026 | Northern Ireland Troubles: Legacy and ReconciliationIt seems to me that the Secretary of State is adopting a highly technical and extremely unmeritorious argument. He says that because the declaration of incompatibility is not the s… DefenceSocial Care | 132 |
| 17 Dec 2025 | Northern Ireland Troubles: Legacy and ReconciliationI wonder whether the Secretary of State can assist me with this problem. The Supreme Court is at the moment seized of the issue as to the lawfulness of the declaration of incompati… DefenceSocial Care | 154 |
| 28 Oct 2025 | China Spying CaseThe Attorney General’s Office has nothing to do with foreign policy. DefenceMp PerformanceEconomy Jobs | 11 |
D · Written questions
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Social Care | 9 | 25.7% |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 8 | 22.9% |
| Department for Transport | 5 | 14.3% |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 3 | 8.6% |
| Department for Culture, Media and Sport | 3 | 8.6% |
| Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | 3 | 8.6% |
| Department for Business and Trade | 2 | 5.7% |
| Department for Education | 1 | 2.9% |
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Mar 2026 | Department for Culture, Media and Sport | To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that rural and coastal self-catering and tourism businesses in Devon are adequately supported in the context of (a) increased business rates, (b)… | Answered |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Department for Culture, Media and Sport | To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with rural and coastal self-catering and tourism businesses in Torridge on promoting the sector. | Answered |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussion she has had with Natural England and the Environment Agency to enable Catchment Sensitive Farming teams in Devon and Cornwall to process applications exp… | Answered |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish the number of Catchment Sensitive Farming grant applications in Devon and Cornwall applied for in 2025 that are still to be processed. | Answered |
| 09 Mar 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that vulnerable and terminally ill residents in rural communities in Devon can rely on the provision of daily phlebotomy services within a reasonabl… | Answered |
| 29 Jan 2026 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she will (a) hold discussions with stakeholders on Dartmoor and (b) attend the forthcoming annual Dartmoor Forum this spring. | Answered |
| 29 Jan 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her timetable is for notifying local authorities of their multi-year allocations for the Local Authority Bus Grants. | Answered |
| 13 Jan 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) he and (b) his Ministers have had recent discussions with dental schools in the South West on encouraging newly qualified dentists to work in NHS-providing dental practic… | Answered |
| 13 Jan 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Devon Integrated Care Board on access to non-emergency NHS dental appointments for (a) children and (b) elderly people in Torridge. | Answered |
| 12 Sept 2025 | Department for Business and Trade | To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that rural hospitality businesses are adequately supported in the context of (a) rising wholesale food prices, (b) energy costs, (c) increased (i) wage… | Answered |
| 12 Sept 2025 | Department for Culture, Media and Sport | To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with Sport England on the (a) promotion and (b) development of (i) padel and (ii) pickleball as national sports. | Answered |
| 11 Jun 2025 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many meetings (a) she has and (b) Ministers in her Department have had with hon. Members from (i) her party and (ii) other parties on rail infrastructure projects in their constituencies. | Answered |
| 11 Jun 2025 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to provide funding to Tavistock College under the school rebuilding programme. | Answered |
| 11 Jun 2025 | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will exclude (a) Dartmoor, (b) the Tamar Valley and (c) other environmentally protected and low-density settlement areas in West Devon from her Department’s… | Answered |
| 18 Mar 2025 | Department for Business and Trade | To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has considered providing access to post boxes in new housing developments. | 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 | Claims | Paid (£) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | 12 | 24,421 | 9.2% |
| Office Costs | 76 | 19,586 | 7.4% |
| Staffing | 2 | 209,629 | 79.1% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 7,070 | 2.7% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 4,293 | 1.6% |
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | Accommodation | 12 | 24,421 |
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 2 | 5,263 |
| Recruitment Services &Costs | Office Costs | 6 | 4,644 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 21 | 1,689 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 4 | 1,532 |
| Cleaning services | Office Costs | 15 | 782 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 1 | 720 |
| Utilities | Office Costs | 16 | 709 |
| Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | Office Costs | 5 | 485 |
| Insurance - contents | Office Costs | 1 | 400 |
| Website hosting and design | Office Costs | 1 | 360 |
| Advertising and contact cards | Office Costs | 3 | 355 |
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | DB HEATING [200011725-7309] | 96 | Paid |
| 24 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Cleaning services | Window cleaning in constituency office - March | 10 | Paid |
| 14 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Water | 9 | Paid |
| 12 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline | 41 | Paid |
| 05 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Electricity | 35 | Paid |
| 04 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Recruitment Services &Costs | HIVE SUPPORT LTD [200011725-3396] | 875 | Paid |
| 04 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Recruitment Services &Costs | HIVE SUPPORT LTD [200011725-3395] | 875 | Paid |
| 04 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Gas | 32 | Paid |
| 03 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | Advance claim for rental payment due 20 March 2025 [200011799-95] | 871 | Paid |
| 03 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Recruitment Services &Costs | TINDLE NEWSPAPERS CORN [200011725-3210] | 239 | Paid |
| 03 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Water | 71 | Paid |
| 25 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Cleaning services | Constituency office weekly clean for the month of February (one clean) | 15 | Paid |
| 24 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Cleaning services | Constituency office window clean for Jan and Feb 2025 | 20 | Paid |
| 21 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Recruitment Services &Costs | TINDLE NEWSPAPERS DEVO | 359 | Paid |
| 17 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Recruitment Services &Costs | DERRY PUBLICATIONS LTD | 546 | Paid |
| 06 Feb 2025 | Accommodation Rent | Advance claim for rental payment due 20 February 2025 | 2,250 | Paid |
| 05 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Electricity | 35 | Paid |
| 04 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 118 | Paid |
| 04 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 118 | Paid |
| 04 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 118 | 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.
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 25 wards, 47 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appledore | Leonard Spencer Ford | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 599 | 04 May 2023 |
| Appledore | Peter Graham Hames | Green Party of England and Wales | 588 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bere Ferrers | Angela Blackman | Conservative and Unionist Party | 478 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bere Ferrers | Isabel Angela Saxby | Labour Party | 757 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bideford East | Huw Thomas | Green Party of England and Wales | 387 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bideford East | James Andrew Craigie | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 392 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bideford East | Jude Gubb | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 459 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bideford North | Teresa Anne Tinsley | Liberal Democrats | 358 | 02 May 2024 |
| Bideford South | David George Brenton | Labour Party | 247 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bideford South | Simon George Inch | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 200 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bideford West | Anne Brenton | Labour Party | 186 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bideford West | Carl Jason Hawkins | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 187 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bridestowe | Caroline Mott | Conservative and Unionist Party | 507 | 04 May 2023 |
| Bridestowe | Terry Southcott | Conservative and Unionist Party | 463 | 04 May 2023 |
| Broadheath | Philip John Warden Hackett | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 547 | 04 May 2023 |
| Broadheath | Stephen Ralph Gibson | Conservative and Unionist Party | 449 | 04 May 2023 |
| Dartmoor | Mark Christian Renders | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 404 | 04 May 2023 |
| Great Torrington | Chris Bright | Liberal Democrats | 751 | 04 May 2023 |
| Great Torrington | Doug Smith | Liberal Democrats | 553 | 04 May 2023 |
| Great Torrington | Lauren Mary Bright | Liberal Democrats | 588 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hartland | Anna Dart | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 755 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hartland | Shirleyann Andrews | Liberal Democrats | 763 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hartland | Stephen John Harding | Conservative and Unionist Party | 640 | 04 May 2023 |
| Holsworthy | Lyndon James Piper | Liberal Democrats | 541 | 04 May 2023 |
| Holsworthy | Pete Shepherd | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 460 | 04 May 2023 |
| Mary Tavy | Robert John Oxborough | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 240 | 04 May 2023 |
| Milton Ford | Neil Jory | Conservative and Unionist Party | 339 | 02 May 2019 |
| Milton Tamarside | Ken James | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 659 | 04 May 2023 |
| Milton Tamarside | Kit Hepple | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 524 | 04 May 2023 |
| Monkleigh Putford | Phil Pennington | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 567 | 04 May 2023 |
| Monkleigh Putford | Robert Henry Hicks | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 537 | 04 May 2023 |
| Northam | Chris Leather | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 674 | 04 May 2023 |
| Northam | Jane Whittaker | Conservative and Unionist Party | 530 | 04 May 2023 |
| Northam | Wendy Lo-Vel | Green Party of England and Wales | 513 | 04 May 2023 |
| Shebbear Langtree | Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin | Liberal Democrats | 892 | 04 May 2023 |
| Shebbear Langtree | Christopher Charles Wheatley | Liberal Democrats | 700 | 04 May 2023 |
| Tamarside | Chris Edmonds | Conservative and Unionist Party | 313 | 04 May 2023 |
| Tavistock North | Holly Greenberry-Pullen | Liberal Democrats | 387 | 02 May 2024 |
| Tavistock South East | Adam Duncan Bridgewater | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 734 | 04 May 2023 |
| Tavistock South East | Debo Sellis | Conservative and Unionist Party | 604 | 04 May 2023 |
| Tavistock South West | Anne Johnson | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 662 | 04 May 2023 |
| Tavistock South West | Mandy Victoria Louise Ewings | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 608 | 04 May 2023 |
| Two Rivers Three Moors | Rosemary Lock | Conservative and Unionist Party | 609 | 04 May 2023 |
| Two Rivers Three Moors | Thomas John Elliott | Conservative and Unionist Party | 513 | 04 May 2023 |
| Westward Ho | Claire Charmian Hodson | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 494 | 04 May 2023 |
| Westward Ho | Louis Bach | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 334 | 04 May 2023 |
| Winkleigh | Simon Newton | Conservative and Unionist Party | 343 | 04 May 2023 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 87,694 | Electorate 74,727 (2024) |
| Median age | 51 | years |
| Degree-educated | 28.1% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 98.2% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 70.7% | households |
| Private-rented | 19.8% | households |
| Social-rented | 9.4% | households |
| Employment rate | 52.1% | 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.