South East · England · 70,972Boundary · 2023

Washington & Gateshead South

Follow⇄ Compare

Created in the 2023 boundary review, from parts of Gateshead and Washington and Sunderland West.

Dispatch
Apr 2026

Won by Lab in its first election in 2024. Covers Washington, Sunderland and Birtley. Population 96,618. Recorded crime is 50% below the national average. Median income £25K (below average).

A suspected arson attack on Sharon Hodgson's Washington constituency office in September 2025 -- which resulted in an arrest -- brought her significant national coverage, with reports from the BBC, Guardian, and Politico noting her public commitment to "not be deterred" from supporting constituents. Beyond that episode, her recent parliamentary activity has been largely in lockstep with the Labour government: she voted consistently to override Lords amendments to both the Victims and Courts Bill and the National Insurance Contributions (Employer Pensions Contributions) Bill, and backed the government's position against the opposition's oil and gas motion in March 2026.

Hodgson's voting participation sits at 65% -- below the Commons average -- though she has recorded zero rebel votes and 100% party alignment across all 301 divisions she has participated in. Her stance profile marks her as strongly pro-government and tough-on-crime, with no recorded support for anti-tax-increase or pro-civil-liberties positions when these have been put to a vote. She sits slightly above her party's average on local democracy issues (+16 percentage points) and below it on workers' rights and criminal justice reform. Her nine parliamentary contributions have clustered around education, social care, health, and cost-of-living -- issues with direct relevance to a constituency that spans post-industrial Washington and parts of Gateshead.

301
Commons votes
This parliament
£25k
Median income
HMRC · 2024
71.0k
Electorate
2024 GE

A new constituency created in the 2023 boundary review.

Current Member of Parliament

Sharon Hodgson

Sharon Hodgson

Labour Party

Mrs Sharon Hodgson is the Labour MP for Washington and Gateshead South, and has been an MP continually since 5 May 2005. She currently holds the Government post of Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care).

Sign up free to read the full briefing on Sharon Hodgson.

Sign up free

Voting at a Glance

Won by Lab in its first election in 2024. Covers Washington, Sunderland and Birtley. Population 96,618. Recorded crime is 50% below the national average. Median income £25K (below average).

2024 General Election

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

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

§ 07The record, at a glance.326 divisions voted

Two readings of the same data. Issue volume shows where Hodgson 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
74
Economy
59
Employment
39
Crime & Policing
37
Education
24
Constitution and Democracy
22
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
BirtleyJoe Sowerby892Liberal
CastleDenny Wilson1,130Labour P
LamesleyJudith Turner1,447Labour P
RedhillAlison Smith931Labour P
Washington CentralDianne Elizabeth Snowdon1,673Labour P
Washington EastSean Robert Laws1,632Labour P
Washington NorthMichael Lee Walker1,389Labour P
Washington SouthBrandon Mark Feeley1,555Labour P
Washington WestJimmy Warne1,412Labour P
Population (2021 Census)
96,618
Electorate 70,972 · 2024 register
Median income
£25,100
HMRC SPI 2024
Households renting privately
12.4%
England average 20.0%
Schools
46
32 primary · 7 secondary
Next · dig deeperEvery division, question, speech and committee record

Mine the full
record → Data view

Filter divisions, search written questions, read every speech since the election. Sortable, searchable, downloadable.

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