Washington and Gateshead South: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Washington and Gateshead South is represented in the House of Commons by Mrs Sharon Hodgson (Labour). The 2024 count gave Sharon Hodgson (Labour) 17,682 votes and Paul Donaghy (Reform UK) 10,769, a majority of 6,913. 37,021 valid votes were cast by an electorate of 70,972, 52.2% of those registered.
Key figures
What the figures show
On the official figures, Washington and Gateshead South has the 21st lowest median house price of the 575 constituencies with this figure (£155,000), and the 33rd lowest median full-time pay of residents of the 632 constituencies with this figure (£32,651 a year).
The median price paid for a home was £155,000 in the year to March 2026 (ONS, from HM Land Registry data). Ten years earlier, in the year to March 2016, it was £118,250. It is the highest March-year median in the series, which starts in 1996. It ranks 21st lowest of 575 constituencies. 899 sales were registered in the period, against 1,005 in the year to March 2025.
Full-time employees living in Washington and Gateshead South had median pay of £32,651 a year in April 2025; for jobs based in the constituency the median was £34,268. In April 2024 the residents' figure was £31,139. The residents' figure ranks 33rd lowest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
66.5% of residents aged 16 to 64 were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, on the Annual Population Survey estimate (95% confidence interval ±5.9 points). 28.0% were economically inactive.
The ONS estimates 96,433 people lived in Washington and Gateshead South in mid-2024, up 1.0% on 2014. There were more residents aged 65 and over (21,002) than children under 16 (17,007).
Workplaces in Washington and Gateshead South accounted for 51,000 jobs in 2024; the business register lists 3,000 local units for March 2026.
DWP figures count 5,199 children under 16 in relative low income families after housing costs in 2024/25, 30.6% of children here against 26.0% across the UK. On the before-housing-costs measure it rose from 23.6% in 2021/22 to 25.7% in 2024/25.
Census 2021: 41,894 households, 1,362.1 people per square kilometre, 23.2% of workers based at home, 25.2% of adults retired.
The claimant count for September 2026 was 2,095, or 3.6% of the working-age population. That is down from 2,145 twelve months before.
MP
Mrs Sharon Hodgson, Labour
- MP for Washington and Gateshead South since 4 July 2024
- In the House of Commons since 5 May 2005
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Mrs Sharon Hodgson on this site
In Parliament
Hansard records these as Mrs Sharon Hodgson's latest words in Parliament, from 13 October 2026 to 20 October 2026. Hansard search returns 184 spoken contributions by Mrs Sharon Hodgson since 4 July 2024.
T8. I had the pleasure last week of meeting Her Majesty the Queen to discuss the importance of having fracture liaison services in every NHS trust, to which this Government have already committed.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Following on from my friend across the House, the right hon. Member for New Forest East (Sir Julian Lewis), I and many other colleagues of all parties attended the screening of that brilliant documentary —if I can describe in that way something that was so devastating to watch …
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I agree, and outcomes are mentioned in clause 4(2)(b). I pondered including the word “inequality” at length, for all the reasons we heard about from my hon. Friend the Member for Lowestoft, as well as in respect of what the Lib Dem spokesperson, the hon.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
It is a pleasure to speak in support of the Bill and the amendment. The right hon. Member for New Forest West laid out clearly on Second Reading why the Bill is important. He spoke very well again this morning and made case for why the amendment is perhaps not needed.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Wishart. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for North Durham (Luke Akehurst) for securing this very important debate and setting out so clearly, as he did, the issues that have brought so many north-east colleagues to this …
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharon Hodgson | Labour | 17,682 | 47.8% | +4.6 |
| Paul Donaghy | Reform UK | 10,769 | 29.1% | +15.3 |
| Shaun Parsons | Conservative | 4,654 | 12.6% | −21.2 |
| Michal Chantkowski | Green Party | 1,687 | 4.6% | +1.9 |
| Ciaran Morrissey | Liberal Democrat | 1,602 | 4.3% | −0.6 |
| Sharon McLafferty | Independent | 627 | 1.7% |
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 47.8% | Reform UK 29.1% | 6,913 | 52.2% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Labour 43.1% | Conservative 33.7% | 3,938 | 58.5% |
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
Washington and Gateshead South covers wards in 2 local authority areas, listed by the number of wards in the constituency.
- Sunderland E08000024
- Gateshead E08000037
Who has power over Washington and Gateshead South
Every body that makes decisions for Washington and Gateshead 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 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
- Washington and Gateshead South this page: Mrs Sharon Hodgson (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 Washington and Gateshead South?
Mrs Sharon Hodgson (Labour), elected on 4 July 2024, according to UK Parliament records.
What was the 2024 general election result in Washington and Gateshead South?
The House of Commons Library records 17,682 votes for Sharon Hodgson of Labour and a majority of 6,913; 52.2% of the electorate cast a valid vote.
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Washington and Gateshead South?
The ONS claimant count for September 2026 is 2,095, 3.6% of the 16 to 64 population.
What is the average house price in Washington and Gateshead South?
£155,000: 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 Washington and Gateshead South?
For full-time employees living here the ONS puts median annual pay at £32,651 (April 2025).
How many children in Washington and Gateshead South live in low income families?
5,199 children under 16, 30.6%, after housing costs in 2024/25, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
What is the population of Washington and Gateshead South?
96,433 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.