Wakefield and Rothwell: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Wakefield and Rothwell is represented in the House of Commons by Simon Lightwood (Labour (Co-op)). On 4 July 2024 Simon Lightwood (Labour) won 17,773 votes, 43.7% of the valid vote; David Dews (Reform UK) came second with 8,427. Turnout, counted as valid votes over the electorate, was 54.2% (40,656 of 75,067); the winning margin was 9,346 votes.
Key figures
What the figures show
Survey estimates for April 2025 to March 2026 have 82.4% of working-age residents in employment, within a margin of 5.2 points. The economically inactive share was 14.1%.
Wakefield and Rothwell had an estimated population of 111,069 in mid-2024, against 99,014 in 2014 (ONS). There were more children under 16 (21,238) than residents aged 65 and over (19,292).
Homes in Wakefield and Rothwell sold for a median £227,500 in the year to March 2026, from HM Land Registry records compiled by the ONS. That is up 57% on £145,000 ten years before. The highest March-year median in the series was £231,920, in the year to March 2025. It ranks 165th lowest of 575 constituencies. The figure rests on 1,183 recorded sales.
In 2024/25, 28.1% of children under 16 in Wakefield and Rothwell (5,971) 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 23.6% in 2024/25, from 23.7% in 2021/22.
4,270 business sites were registered in Wakefield and Rothwell in March 2026 (4,285 a year before), and employed 67,000 people in 2024.
Median annual pay for full-time work was £37,809 for jobs in Wakefield and Rothwell and £38,547 for its residents (April 2025, ASHE). A year before, the residents' median was £37,843. The residents' figure ranks 301st highest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
At the 2021 Census there were 45,225 households and 1,747.8 residents per square kilometre; 26.5% of workers mainly worked from home and 21.6% of residents aged 16 and over were retired.
3,305 people were claiming unemployment-related benefits in September 2026, 4.7% of residents aged 16 to 64. September 2025 had 2,955.
MP
Simon Lightwood, Labour (Co-op)
- MP for Wakefield and Rothwell since 4 July 2024
- In the House of Commons since 23 June 2022
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Simon Lightwood on this site
In Parliament
The 5 most recent spoken contributions by Simon Lightwood in Hansard, from 14 October 2026 to 20 October 2026, quoted from the official report. Hansard search returns 528 spoken contributions by Simon Lightwood since 4 July 2024.
I am sure the Aviation Minister will have more to say on that. There has been much in the media about the Government looking at this area, and I am sure the Aviation Minister will continue to engage with hon. Members on airport drop-offs.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Once again, I am sure the Aviation Minister will have heard my hon. Friend, and I will go on to address some of those issues.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
There will indeed be a stakeholder group and opportunities for people to feed into that. My hon.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
The right hon. Member had numerous opportunities to intervene, which were accommodated by the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Ellesmere Port and Bromborough (Justin Madders).
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
It is always a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Ms McVey. I commend the commitment of my hon. Friend the Member for Lichfield (Dave Robertson) to seeing this crucial bridge in his constituency replaced. The Government are committed to improving the condition of local roads.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 29 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Lightwood | Labour | 17,773 | 43.7% | +4.2 |
| David Dews | Reform UK | 8,427 | 20.7% | +17.5 |
| Arnold Cravan | Conservative | 7,322 | 18.0% | −26.8 |
| Stewart Golton | Liberal Democrat | 3,249 | 8.0% | −2.9 |
| Ash Routh | Green Party | 2,389 | 5.9% | +4.9 |
| Keith Mason | Workers Party of Britain | 705 | 1.7% | |
| Brent Hawksley | The Yorkshire Party | 606 | 1.5% | |
| Nicholas Sanders | Social Democratic Party | 185 | 0.5% |
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 43.7% | Reform UK 20.7% | 9,346 | 54.2% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Conservative 44.9% | Labour 39.5% | 2,626 | 66.4% |
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
Wakefield and Rothwell covers wards in 2 local authority areas, listed by the number of wards in the constituency.
Who has power over Wakefield and Rothwell
Every body that makes decisions for Wakefield and Rothwell, 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
- Wakefield and Rothwell this page: Simon Lightwood (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 Wakefield and Rothwell?
UK Parliament lists Simon Lightwood, Labour (Co-op), as the Member of Parliament for Wakefield and Rothwell since the July 2024 general election.
What was the 2024 general election result in Wakefield and Rothwell?
Simon Lightwood (Labour) won with 17,773 votes, a majority of 9,346, on a turnout of 54.2% (House of Commons Library).
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Wakefield and Rothwell?
4.7% of residents aged 16 to 64 in September 2026, 3,305 people, on the ONS claimant count.
What is the average house price in Wakefield and Rothwell?
The median price paid was £227,500 in the year to March 2026 (ONS, from HM Land Registry sales).
What is the average salary in Wakefield and Rothwell?
Median full-time pay of residents was £38,547 a year in April 2025 (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings).
How many children in Wakefield and Rothwell live in low income families?
DWP counts 5,971 (28.1% of under-16s) in relative low income after housing costs for 2024/25.
What is the population of Wakefield and Rothwell?
The ONS estimate for mid-2024 is 111,069 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.