South Leicestershire: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Alberto Costa (Conservative) is the MP for South Leicestershire, elected at the general election of 4 July 2024. On 4 July 2024 Alberto Costa (Conservative) won 18,264 votes, 35.6% of the valid vote; Robert Parkinson (Labour) came second with 12,758. 51,359 valid votes were cast by an electorate of 78,511, 65.4% of those registered. The majority was 5,506.
Key figures
What the figures show
Compared with other constituencies, South Leicestershire has the 11th lowest economic inactivity rate of the 632 constituencies with this figure (10.4%); it also has the 21st highest employment rate of the 632 constituencies with this figure (85.7%).
The Annual Population Survey puts the employment rate for 16 to 64 year olds at 85.7% for April 2025 to March 2026, give or take 6.7 points. 10.4% were economically inactive.
In 2024/25, 17.0% of children under 16 in South Leicestershire (3,234) 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 11.8% in 2021/22 to 12.5% in 2024/25.
Residents of South Leicestershire earned more than jobs based there paid in April 2025: median full-time pay was £37,695 for workplace jobs and £41,205 for residents. In April 2024 the residents' figure was £38,994. The residents' figure ranks 200th highest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
Workplaces in South Leicestershire accounted for 68,000 jobs in 2024; the business register lists 5,530 local units for March 2026.
In mid-2024 the ONS put the number of residents at 107,867; the estimate for 2014 was 93,179. 23,121 were aged 65 or over and 19,000 were under 16.
Census 2021: 42,391 households, 306.0 people per square kilometre, 32.5% of workers based at home, 25.1% of adults retired.
HM Land Registry sales put the middle house price at £292,500 for the year to March 2026. Ten years earlier, in the year to March 2016, it was £197,275. The highest March-year median in the series was £295,000, in the year to March 2025. It ranks 273rd highest of 575 constituencies. 1,351 sales were registered in the period, against 1,792 in the year to March 2025.
The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits stood at 1,255 in September 2026, a claimant rate of 1.9%. A year earlier the count was 1,235.
MP
Alberto Costa, Conservative
- MP for South Leicestershire since 4 July 2024
- In the House of Commons since 7 May 2015
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Alberto Costa on this site
In Parliament
The 5 most recent spoken contributions by Alberto Costa in Hansard, from 13 July 2026 to 14 September 2026, quoted from the official report. Hansard search returns 65 spoken contributions by Alberto Costa since 4 July 2024.
I support the motions in the name of the Leader of the House and thank him for his opening remarks.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Q7. I hope that the Prime Minister likes South Leicestershire as much as he likes the southern parts of England.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Earlier today, Members from across this House and the other place, along with stakeholders from throughout the United Kingdom, met to discuss the scourge of microplastic pollution.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I hope the whole House can agree—surely it can—that public confidence in our immigration system depends on the principle that those who seek to undermine our borders, exploit vulnerable migrants or, worse still, profit from illegal migration are identified, apprehended and …
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Why was the effectiveness of the high streets organised crime unit completely lacking when, two weeks ago, BBC journalist Sue Mitchell and her excellent team exposed the case of Mr Twana Jamal working in such a high street business right next door to my constituency office?
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 28 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberto Costa | Conservative | 18,264 | 35.6% | −31.0 |
| Robert Parkinson | Labour | 12,758 | 24.8% | +4.9 |
| Bill Piper | Reform UK | 10,235 | 19.9% | |
| Paul Hartshorn | Liberal Democrat | 7,621 | 14.8% | +5.3 |
| Mike Jelfs | Green Party | 2,481 | 4.8% | +0.9 |
Result summary as published: Con 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 | Conservative 35.6% | Labour 24.8% | 5,506 | 65.4% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Conservative 66.5% | Labour 19.9% | 25,534 | 72.4% |
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
South Leicestershire covers wards in 2 local authority areas, listed by the number of wards in the constituency.
- Blaby E07000129
- Harborough E07000131
Who has power over South Leicestershire
Every body that makes decisions for South Leicestershire, 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 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
- South Leicestershire this page: Alberto Costa (Conservative) 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 South Leicestershire?
Alberto Costa (Conservative), elected on 4 July 2024, according to UK Parliament records.
What was the 2024 general election result in South Leicestershire?
The House of Commons Library records 18,264 votes for Alberto Costa of Conservative and a majority of 5,506; 65.4% of the electorate cast a valid vote.
What is the unemployment claimant rate in South Leicestershire?
The ONS claimant count for September 2026 is 1,255, 1.9% of the 16 to 64 population.
What is the average house price in South Leicestershire?
£292,500: 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 South Leicestershire?
For full-time employees living here the ONS puts median annual pay at £41,205 (April 2025).
How many children in South Leicestershire live in low income families?
3,234 children under 16, 17.0%, after housing costs in 2024/25, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
What is the population of South Leicestershire?
107,867 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.