Houghton and Sunderland South: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Houghton and Sunderland South is represented in the House of Commons by Bridget Phillipson (Labour). Bridget Phillipson took the seat for Labour in July 2024 with 18,837 votes (47.1%), ahead of Sam Woods-Brass (Reform UK) on 11,668. 40,032 valid votes were cast by an electorate of 78,448, 51.0% of those registered. The majority was 7,169.
Key figures
What the figures show
Two figures set Houghton and Sunderland South apart: the 24th lowest median house price of the 575 constituencies with this figure (£157,950), and the 42nd lowest median full-time pay of residents of the 632 constituencies with this figure (£32,859 a year).
HM Land Registry sales put the middle house price at £157,950 for the year to March 2026. Ten years earlier, in the year to March 2016, it was £122,500. The highest March-year median in the series was £169,950, in the year to March 2023. It ranks 24th lowest of 575 constituencies. 1,185 sales were registered in the period, against 1,403 in the year to March 2025.
Workplaces in Houghton and Sunderland South accounted for 26,000 jobs in 2024; the business register lists 2,240 local units for March 2026.
Median annual pay for full-time work was £32,918 for jobs in Houghton and Sunderland South and £32,859 for its residents (April 2025, ASHE). In April 2024 the residents' figure was £32,657. The residents' figure ranks 42nd lowest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
Survey estimates for April 2025 to March 2026 have 71.2% of working-age residents in employment, within a margin of 6.1 points. 26.1% were economically inactive.
5,547 children in Houghton and Sunderland South were in relative low income families after housing costs in 2024/25, the Department for Work and Pensions estimates: 29.4% of under-16s, where the UK share is 26.0%. On the before-housing-costs measure it rose from 23.9% in 2021/22 to 25.5% in 2024/25.
At the 2021 Census there were 44,873 households and 1,456.9 residents per square kilometre; 23.5% of workers mainly worked from home and 25.1% of residents aged 16 and over were retired.
In mid-2024 the ONS put the number of residents at 106,116; the estimate for 2014 was 98,942. There were more residents aged 65 and over (22,380) than children under 16 (18,888).
The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits stood at 2,340 in September 2026, a claimant rate of 3.6%. September 2025 had 2,315.
MP
Bridget Phillipson, Labour
- MP for Houghton and Sunderland South since 4 July 2024
- In the House of Commons since 6 May 2010
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Bridget Phillipson on this site
In Parliament
What Bridget Phillipson said most recently in Parliament, word for word from Hansard (9 September 2026). Hansard search returns 1,039 spoken contributions by Bridget Phillipson since 4 July 2024.
My hon. Friend raises an extremely important point ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
There are potential benefits that come from the use of this kind of technology, but we know that there are also significant risks. That is why we will continue to keep the law in this area under review to make sure it is effective and fit for use.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Access to childcare right across our communities is absolutely essential. That is why this Labour Government in England have massively expanded access to childcare.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I know my hon. Friend will always stand up for children and families across Harlow.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
The hon. Lady is right: we must tackle prejudice, racism and intolerance in all its forms.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 27 October 2026. Up to two items per debate; remarks under 40 characters are left out. All contributions in Hansard.
General election, 4 July 2024
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change in share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridget Phillipson | Labour | 18,837 | 47.1% | +6.7 |
| Sam Woods-Brass | Reform UK | 11,668 | 29.1% | +13.4 |
| Chris Burnicle | Conservative | 5,514 | 13.8% | −19.2 |
| Paul Edgeworth | Liberal Democrat | 2,290 | 5.7% | −0.2 |
| Richard Bradley | Green Party | 1,723 | 4.3% | +1.6 |
Result summary as published: Lab hold. Change in share is in percentage points against the notional 2019 result on the new boundaries. Source: House of Commons Library, election results (data, read 14 October 2026).
Results on these boundaries
| Date | Election | First | Second | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 July 2024 | General election | Labour 47.1% | Reform UK 29.2% | 7,169 | 51.0% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Labour 40.4% | Conservative 32.9% | 3,271 | 57.0% |
Only results on the constituency boundaries first used at the 2024 general election are shown. The 2019 figures are the House of Commons Library's notional estimates of how votes cast in 2019 would have fallen on these boundaries, not a result that was declared. Source: House of Commons Library, constituency results.
Councils
Houghton and Sunderland South lies within Sunderland.
- Sunderland E08000024
Who has power over Houghton and Sunderland South
Every body that makes decisions for Houghton and Sunderland South, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Parish, town and community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 3: Local councils
Level 4: County councils, combined authorities and metro mayors
- North East Mayoral Combined Authority mayoral combined authority
- Northumbria Police police force
- NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board NHS
- South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS FT NHS
- North East in official figures
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
England has no devolved parliament of its own: its laws are made by the UK Parliament.
Level 6: National government
- Houghton and Sunderland South this page: Bridget Phillipson (Labour) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
| Figure | Period | Publisher | Read | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | mid-2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimants as a share of residents aged 16 to 64 | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimant count | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Employment rate, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of residents | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of people working here | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median house price | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Homes sold | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, after housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, before housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Business sites (local units) | March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| People employed by businesses here | 2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Economically inactive, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Households | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents per square kilometre | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Workers mainly working from home | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents aged 16+ who are retired | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
"Data" is the file or query each figure was read from (its SHA-256 is in the link title); "area" shows the same table for this constituency alone.
Common questions
Who is the MP for Houghton and Sunderland South?
Bridget Phillipson (Labour), elected on 4 July 2024, according to UK Parliament records.
What was the 2024 general election result in Houghton and Sunderland South?
The House of Commons Library records 18,837 votes for Bridget Phillipson of Labour and a majority of 7,169; 51.0% of the electorate cast a valid vote.
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Houghton and Sunderland South?
The ONS claimant count for September 2026 is 2,340, 3.6% of the 16 to 64 population.
What is the average house price in Houghton and Sunderland South?
£157,950: the middle price of homes sold in the year to March 2026, published by the ONS from Land Registry records.
What is the average salary in Houghton and Sunderland South?
For full-time employees living here the ONS puts median annual pay at £32,859 (April 2025).
How many children in Houghton and Sunderland South live in low income families?
5,547 children under 16, 29.4%, after housing costs in 2024/25, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
What is the population of Houghton and Sunderland South?
106,116 in mid-2024, the latest ONS estimate.
Built 14 October 2026 from official records; how these pages are compiled. This page lists what the record shows and gives no verdict on the MP or the area. Link moved or figure wrong? Tell us.