Leigh and Atherton: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Leigh and Atherton is represented in the House of Commons by Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op)). On 4 July 2024 Jo Platt (Labour) won 19,971 votes, 48.5% of the valid vote; George Woodward (Reform UK) came second with 11,090. 41,170 valid votes were cast by an electorate of 79,978, 51.5% of those registered. The majority was 8,881.
Key figures
What the figures show
Compared with other constituencies, Leigh and Atherton has the 36th lowest median full-time pay for jobs based here of the 632 constituencies with this figure (£31,374 a year).
In mid-2024 the ONS put the number of residents at 115,520; the estimate for 2014 was 104,547. There were more children under 16 (21,916) than residents aged 65 and over (21,058).
HM Land Registry sales put the middle house price at £200,000 for the year to March 2026. Ten years earlier, in the year to March 2016, it was £117,000. It is the highest March-year median in the series, which starts in 1996. It ranks 98th lowest of 575 constituencies. 1,395 sales were registered in the period, against 1,681 in the year to March 2025.
71.0% of residents aged 16 to 64 were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, on the Annual Population Survey estimate (95% confidence interval ±7.2 points). 24.5% were economically inactive.
Full-time employees living in Leigh and Atherton had median pay of £35,657 a year in April 2025; for jobs based in the constituency the median was £31,374. In April 2024 the residents' figure was £34,189. The residents' figure ranks 171st lowest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
At the 2021 Census there were 47,840 households and 2,037.3 residents per square kilometre; 22.8% of workers mainly worked from home and 22.1% of residents aged 16 and over were retired.
Workplaces in Leigh and Atherton accounted for 34,000 jobs in 2024; the business register lists 3,745 local units for March 2026.
In 2024/25, 26.7% of children under 16 in Leigh and Atherton (5,842) lived in relative low income families once housing costs are taken off, says the DWP; the UK figure is 26.0%. On the before-housing-costs measure it rose from 21.8% in 2021/22 to 23.0% in 2024/25.
The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits stood at 2,810 in September 2026, a claimant rate of 3.9%. That is up from 2,690 twelve months before.
MP
Jo Platt, Labour (Co-op)
- MP for Leigh and Atherton since 4 July 2024
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Jo Platt on this site
In Parliament
The 5 most recent spoken contributions by Jo Platt in Hansard, from 9 July 2026 to 16 July 2026, quoted from the official report. Hansard search returns 116 spoken contributions by Jo Platt since 4 July 2024.
That was a major part of the report and the inquiry. I have visited two derelict churches over the last few weeks, including Sacred Heart only last week. We know that places of worship are among the most significant heritage assets in our communities.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
It is also an honour to sit alongside my hon. Friend on the Culture, Media and Sport Committee. She makes an important point, one that I referred to in my earlier remarks.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Thank you for chairing this debate, Sir Roger. It has been enlightening and humorous but serious in its cause.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right about confidence. Politicians have a lot of work to do in supporting our constituents, including children and young people in schools and the workplace.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Historic buildings are a huge part of our national identity, yet restoration is harder than demolition. As the former manager of Leigh Spinners Mill—I am not sure I have mentioned that in this House before—I have seen the barriers that regeneration projects face at first hand.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jo Platt | Labour | 19,971 | 48.5% | +5.3 |
| George Woodward | Reform UK | 11,090 | 26.9% | +21.1 |
| Michael Winstanley | Conservative | 6,483 | 15.7% | −28.1 |
| Amelia Jones | Green Party | 1,653 | 4.0% | +3.7 |
| Stuart Thomas | Liberal Democrat | 1,597 | 3.9% | −0.7 |
| Craig Buckley | English Democrats | 376 | 0.9% |
Result summary as published: Lab gain from Con. 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 48.5% | Reform UK 26.9% | 8,881 | 51.5% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Conservative 43.8% | Labour 43.2% | 293 | 58.0% |
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
Leigh and Atherton lies within Wigan.
- Wigan E08000010
Who has power over Leigh and Atherton
Every body that makes decisions for Leigh and Atherton, 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 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
- Leigh and Atherton this page: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op)) 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 Leigh and Atherton?
Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op)), elected on 4 July 2024, according to UK Parliament records.
What was the 2024 general election result in Leigh and Atherton?
The House of Commons Library records 19,971 votes for Jo Platt of Labour and a majority of 8,881; 51.5% of the electorate cast a valid vote.
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Leigh and Atherton?
The ONS claimant count for September 2026 is 2,810, 3.9% of the 16 to 64 population.
What is the average house price in Leigh and Atherton?
£200,000: 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 Leigh and Atherton?
For full-time employees living here the ONS puts median annual pay at £35,657 (April 2025).
How many children in Leigh and Atherton live in low income families?
5,842 children under 16, 26.7%, after housing costs in 2024/25, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
What is the population of Leigh and Atherton?
115,520 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.