Sunderland Central: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Lewis Atkinson (Labour) is the MP for Sunderland Central, elected at the general election of 4 July 2024. On 4 July 2024 Lewis Atkinson (Labour) won 16,852 votes, 42.2% of the valid vote; Chris Enyon (Reform UK) came second with 10,779. Turnout, counted as valid votes over the electorate, was 52.5% (39,957 of 76,145); the winning margin was 6,073 votes.
Key figures
What the figures show
Compared with other constituencies, Sunderland Central has the 6th lowest median full-time pay for jobs based here of the 632 constituencies with this figure (£29,628 a year); it also has the 17th lowest median house price of the 575 constituencies with this figure (£150,000).
Homes in Sunderland Central sold for a median £150,000 in the year to March 2026, from HM Land Registry records compiled by the ONS. That is up 22% on £123,000 ten years before. The highest March-year median in the series was £156,025, in the year to March 2025. It ranks 17th lowest of 575 constituencies. The figure rests on 1,026 recorded sales.
Median annual pay for full-time work was £29,628 for jobs in Sunderland Central and £31,741 for its residents (April 2025, ASHE). A year before, the residents' median was £33,929. The residents' figure ranks 20th lowest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
Survey estimates for April 2025 to March 2026 have 70.6% of working-age residents in employment, within a margin of 6.8 points. The economically inactive share was 25.2%.
3,445 business sites were registered in Sunderland Central in March 2026 (3,410 a year before), and employed 52,000 people in 2024.
In 2024/25, 28.4% of children under 16 in Sunderland Central (4,926) lived in relative low income families once housing costs are taken off, says the DWP; the UK figure is 26.0%. Before housing costs the share was 25.0% in 2024/25, from 26.0% in 2021/22.
Census 2021: 43,494 households, 3,357.1 people per square kilometre, 23.8% of workers based at home, 23.9% of adults retired.
Sunderland Central had an estimated population of 104,783 in mid-2024, against 99,399 in 2014 (ONS). 20,548 were aged 65 or over and 17,329 were under 16.
2,760 people were claiming unemployment-related benefits in September 2026, 4.1% of residents aged 16 to 64. September 2025 had 2,735.
MP
Lewis Atkinson, Labour
- MP for Sunderland Central since 4 July 2024
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Lewis Atkinson on this site
In Parliament
The 5 most recent spoken contributions by Lewis Atkinson in Hansard, from 12 October 2026 to 28 October 2026, quoted from the official report. Hansard search returns 311 spoken contributions by Lewis Atkinson since 4 July 2024.
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Central (Abtisam Mohamed) on securing this debate and I congratulate Members from across the Chamber on their contributions.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Q14. Waits for NHS mental health care are far too long. Our constituents are 200 times more likely to wait 18 months for help with a mental health condition than for a physical health condition.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
The peace that Northern Ireland has today rests on the reconciliation process that we have seen in recent decades, civil rights and the rule of law, as well as the recognition that differences must be settled through dialogue and democratic means, and with respect for the rights …
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Wishart. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for North Durham (Luke Akehurst) on securing this important debate.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I was not in the House in 2021—I think the hon. Gentleman was—when the Conservative Government introduced the emissions trading scheme, which introduced the carbon levy on UK producers of fertilisers and other such produce. Is the hon.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis Atkinson | Labour | 16,852 | 42.2% | 0.0 |
| Chris Enyon | Reform UK | 10,779 | 27.0% | +15.4 |
| Greg Peacock | Conservative | 5,731 | 14.3% | −21.0 |
| Niall Hodson | Liberal Democrat | 3,602 | 9.0% | +2.1 |
| Rachel Featherstone | Green Party | 2,993 | 7.5% | +4.7 |
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 42.2% | Reform UK 27.0% | 6,073 | 52.5% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Labour 42.2% | Conservative 35.4% | 2,964 | 59.8% |
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
Sunderland Central lies within Sunderland.
- Sunderland E08000024
Who has power over Sunderland Central
Every body that makes decisions for Sunderland Central, 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
- Sunderland Central this page: Lewis Atkinson (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 Sunderland Central?
UK Parliament lists Lewis Atkinson, Labour, as the Member of Parliament for Sunderland Central since the July 2024 general election.
What was the 2024 general election result in Sunderland Central?
Lewis Atkinson (Labour) won with 16,852 votes, a majority of 6,073, on a turnout of 52.5% (House of Commons Library).
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Sunderland Central?
4.1% of residents aged 16 to 64 in September 2026, 2,760 people, on the ONS claimant count.
What is the average house price in Sunderland Central?
The median price paid was £150,000 in the year to March 2026 (ONS, from HM Land Registry sales).
What is the average salary in Sunderland Central?
Median full-time pay of residents was £31,741 a year in April 2025 (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings).
How many children in Sunderland Central live in low income families?
DWP counts 4,926 (28.4% of under-16s) in relative low income after housing costs for 2024/25.
What is the population of Sunderland Central?
The ONS estimate for mid-2024 is 104,783 residents.
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.