Washington & Gateshead South / data
Mrs Sharon Hodgson · Labour Party · sitting since 05 May 2005 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
7659days
from 05 May 2005
Divisions
326
of 504 possible
Attendance
65%
178 absent / paired
Whip alignment
100%
vs party majority
Speeches
69
26 debates
Written Qs
145
145 answered
Committees
1
memberships
Expenses
£282k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 113 claims
Interests
6
3 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 74 | |
| Economy | 59 | |
| Employment | 39 | |
| Crime & Policing | 37 | |
| Education | 24 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 22 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 18 | |
| Housing | 15 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Health | 15 | 9,553 |
| Social Care | 13 | 6,452 |
| Economy Jobs | 6 | 5,451 |
| Local Government | 6 | 3,410 |
| Culture Community | 3 | 2,186 |
| Energy | 2 | 1,498 |
| Cost Of Living | 3 | 1,007 |
| Transport | 3 | 867 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Apr 2026 | Sudden Unexpected Death in EpilepsyHouse adjourned. HealthSocial Care | 2 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Sudden Unexpected Death in EpilepsyI welcome the development of the Clive Treacey safety checklist. It is an important part of Clive’s legacy, notwithstanding the comments that my hon. Friend made about his legacy b… HealthSocial Care | 500 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Osteoporosis and Bone HealthIt must have been another body—I am giving her jobs that she has never had. That e-module is designed to support the early diagnosis of osteoporosis by highlighting which groups ar… HealthSocial Care | 876 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Sudden Unexpected Death in EpilepsyI thank the hon. Member for Didcot and Wantage (Olly Glover) for securing this important debate. At the outset, I will say that I am happy to meet him to discuss all the action poi… HealthSocial Care | 822 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Osteoporosis and Bone HealthIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Dudley (Sonia Kumar) for securing this important debate. She continues to work as a… HealthSocial Care | 514 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Neuroendocrine CancerI start by thanking my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh South West (Dr Arthur) for securing this important debate. I am not sure if he is aware, but we could actually go on unt… HealthSocial Care | 1,521 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Cancer TreatmentUnlike the Conservative party, we trust our GPs. This will be consultant-led advice and guidance, on which GPs will then decide. HealthSocial Care | 21 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Topical QuestionsI am very sorry to hear about Harley’s condition, and my thoughts are with him and his family. I am sure my hon. Friend understands that neither the Department nor NHS England can … HealthLocal Government | 92 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Cancer TreatmentToo many patients experience issues in accessing radiotherapy treatment, and I am sorry to hear about the experience of my hon. Friend’s constituent, John Kiely. We are determined … HealthSocial Care | 113 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Cancer TreatmentWe are backing cancer patients with a plan to end the postcode lottery that was baked in by the previous Tory Government due to chronic underfunding. We have already announced that… HealthSocial Care | 74 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Healthy Babies FundingI thank the hon. Lady for her good wishes. She may be aware that on 19 January, the Secretary of State met Jesy Nelson and Giles Lomax, the CEO of the charity SMA UK, to discuss th… HealthLocal GovernmentSocial Care | 83 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Healthy Babies FundingDespite the huge success of Sure Start, which my hon. Friend details, the Tory-Lib Dem Government disastrously cut Sure Start centres, leaving parents and babies without any suppor… HealthLocal GovernmentSocial Care | 78 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Cancer TreatmentPatients are 30 times more likely to wait two years for care in Scotland than in England. Labour has ended austerity and provided Scotland with the biggest funding increase since d… HealthSocial Care | 39 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Cancer TreatmentWe are well aware that there are issues with the workforce across the NHS, which is why we are working on a new workforce plan that will be published in the spring—very soon. HealthSocial Care | 33 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Cancer TreatmentThe national cancer plan is a key part of our work to build an NHS fit for the future, and it explains how we will make England a world leader in cancer outcomes. The right hon. Ge… HealthSocial Care | 79 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Social Care | 69 | 47.6% |
| Department for Education | 16 | 11.0% |
| Treasury | 11 | 7.6% |
| Home Office | 9 | 6.2% |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 8 | 5.5% |
| Department for Business and Trade | 6 | 4.1% |
| Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | 6 | 4.1% |
| Department for Transport | 4 | 2.8% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Feb 2026 | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of social media age restrictions on young people accessing illegal platforms. | Answered |
| 20 Feb 2026 | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that young people from all regions, including the North East, are represented in consultations on online safety and Al… | Answered |
| 20 Feb 2026 | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the whether social media age restrictions on platforms headquartered overseas would be enforceable. | Answered |
| 20 Feb 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how his Department plans to ensure that the NHS Genomic Medicine Service’s pipeline of whole genome sequencing for cancer patients is unconstrained by local tissue storage practices;… | Answered |
| 05 Feb 2026 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether regional cost-of-living variations will be factored into proposed maintenance grant calculations. | Answered |
| 27 Jan 2026 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reviewing the No Recourse to Public Funds income thresholds to ensure equity of eligibility for all children when expanding access to the f… | Answered |
| 26 Jan 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on developing national guidance for Auditory Verbal therapy for deaf children since March 2025; and whether he plans to establish a timeline for… | Answered |
| 16 Jan 2026 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners in Washington and Gateshead South constituency are covered by the pension triple lock. | Answered |
| 16 Jan 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress he has made in meeting the 18-week referral-to-treatment standard in Washington and Gateshead South constituency. | Answered |
| 16 Jan 2026 | Treasury | To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many public sector workers have received an above-inflation pay rise in Washington and Gateshead South constituency since 5 July 2024. | Answered |
| 16 Jan 2026 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of measures to reduce child poverty on children in Washington and Gateshead South constituency. | Answered |
| 16 Jan 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure adequate policing in Washington and Gateshead South constituency. | Answered |
| 14 Jan 2026 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to launch the consultation on updating school food standards. | Answered |
| 13 Jan 2026 | Department for Business and Trade | To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if his Department will meet with fireworks industry stakeholders, such as Fireworks Impact Coalition, to discuss calls for a comprehensive review of fireworks legislation. | Answered |
| 13 Jan 2026 | Department for Business and Trade | To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if his Department will conduct a review into fireworks legislation. | Answered |
E · Committees
| Committee | Role | House | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Members Estimate CommitteeSelect | Member | Commons | 04 Sept 2024 | 04 Dec 2024 |
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 | 72 | 22,977 | 8.1% |
| Accommodation | 16 | 23,609 | 8.4% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 8,541 | 3.0% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 2,587 | 0.9% |
| Staffing | 0 | 224,704 | 79.6% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pooled staffing services | Office Costs | 1 | 4,600 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 4 | 2,069 |
| Utilities | Accommodation | 15 | 1,625 |
| Recruitment Services &Costs | Office Costs | 1 | 1,560 |
| Council tax | Accommodation | 1 | 1,244 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 2 | 936 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 33 | 752 |
| Mobile telephone - contract & usage | Office Costs | 10 | 565 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 8 | 423 |
| Insurance - contents | Office Costs | 1 | 281 |
| Waste disposal, confidential waste & rubbish collection | Office Costs | 1 | 170 |
| TV licence | Office Costs | 1 | 170 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Mobile telephone - contract & usage | 2025 03 19 mobile phone MP claimed at 80% for parliamentary business usage | 55 | Paid |
| 13 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Computer, laptop, PC, tablet & accessories | 9 | Paid |
| 12 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Computer, laptop, PC, tablet & accessories | 5 | Paid |
| 11 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Cleaning services | 2025 03 11 cleaning materials purchase | 20 | Paid |
| 11 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Computer, laptop, PC, tablet & accessories | 5 | Paid |
| 04 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Dual Fuel | 59 | Paid |
| 03 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Sundries | 12 | Paid |
| 25 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 150 | Paid |
| 25 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 150 | Paid |
| 19 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Mobile telephone - contract & usage | 2025 02 19 mobile phone MP claimed at 80% for parliamentary business usage | 49 | Paid |
| 04 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Sundries | 7 | Paid |
| 03 Feb 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Dual Fuel | 59 | Paid |
| 22 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Computer, laptop, PC, tablet & accessories | 13 | Paid |
| 20 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Software & applications | 2025 01 20 annual caseworker software subscription | 720 | Paid |
| 17 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Mobile telephone - contract & usage | 2025 01 17 mobile phone MP claimed at 80% for parliamentary business usage | 53 | Paid |
| 15 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline | 537 | Paid |
| 07 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | 2025 01 07 stationery purchase | 16 | Paid |
| 02 Jan 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Dual Fuel | 59 | Paid |
| 18 Dec 2024 | Office Costs Mobile telephone - contract & usage | 2024 12 18 mobile phone MP claimed at 80% for parliamentary business usgae | 61 | Paid |
| 02 Dec 2024 | Accommodation Utilities | Dual Fuel | 59 | 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 sources3 entries
04 Nov 2025
Name of donor: British Recorded Music Industry
Address of donor: Unit 4/4A, Tileyard Studios, Tileyard Road, London N7 9AH
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Two tickets to attend the Mercury Prize Awards 2025. The tickets included entry to the event, two seats at the BPI table, food and drink, value £660
Date received: 16 October 2025
Date accepted: 16 October 2025
Donor status: company, registration 01132389
(Registered 21 October 2025)
04 Nov 2025
Name of donor: Royal Albert Hall
Address of donor: Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AP
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Two tickets to the opening night of the Grand Sumo Tournament 2025 held in the Royal Albert Hall, value £592
Date received: 15 October 2025
Date accepted: 15 October 2025
Donor status: company, registration 01539294
(Registered 21 October 2025)
05 Aug 2025
Name of donor: LACA Ltd
Address of donor: 11-13 The Quad, Sovereign Way, Chester, Cheshire CH1 4QP
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Accommodation and meals at the LACA Main Event 2025 alongside Parliamentary Assistant, value £522
Date received: 8 July 2025 to 10 July 2025
Date accepted: 8 July 2025
Donor status: company, registration 6795804
(Registered 1 August 2025)
8. Miscellaneous2 entries
27 Nov 2024
Director and Trustee of the British Group Inter-Parliamentary Union. This is an unpaid role.
Date interest arose: 13 November 2024
Date interest ended: 6 March 2026
(Registered 20 November 2024; updated 10 March 2026)
13 Nov 2024
Director and Trustee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (UK Branch). This is an unpaid role.
Date interest arose: 16 October 2024
Date interest ended: 4 March 2026
(Registered 31 October 2024; updated 4 March 2026)
9. Family members employed and paid from parliamentary expenses1 entry
18 Apr 2024
Name: Alan Hodgson
Relationship: Spouse
Role: Office Manager
Working pattern: Full time
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 9 wards, 9 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birtley | Joe Sowerby | Liberal Democrats | 892 | 02 May 2024 |
| Castle | Denny Wilson | Labour Party | 1,130 | 02 May 2024 |
| Lamesley | Judith Turner | Labour Party | 1,447 | 02 May 2024 |
| Redhill | Alison Smith | Labour Party | 931 | 02 May 2024 |
| Washington Central | Dianne Elizabeth Snowdon | Labour Party | 1,673 | 02 May 2024 |
| Washington East | Sean Robert Laws | Labour Party | 1,632 | 02 May 2024 |
| Washington North | Michael Lee Walker | Labour Party | 1,389 | 02 May 2024 |
| Washington South | Brandon Mark Feeley | Labour Party | 1,555 | 02 May 2024 |
| Washington West | Jimmy Warne | Labour Party | 1,412 | 02 May 2024 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 96,618 | Electorate 70,972 (2024) |
| Median age | 43 | years |
| Degree-educated | 22.2% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 97.0% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 56.7% | households |
| Private-rented | 12.4% | households |
| Social-rented | 30.9% | households |
| Employment rate | 52.8% | 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.