Whitehaven and Workington: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Josh MacAlister (Labour) is the MP for Whitehaven and Workington, elected at the general election of 4 July 2024. The 2024 count gave Josh MacAlister (Labour) 22,173 votes and David Surtees (Reform UK) 8,887, a majority of 13,286. Turnout, counted as valid votes over the electorate, was 57.2% (41,840 of 73,198).
Key figures
What the figures show
On the official figures, Whitehaven and Workington has the 9th highest median full-time pay for jobs based here of the 632 constituencies with this figure (£50,793 a year), and the 23rd lowest median house price of the 575 constituencies with this figure (£157,000).
Homes in Whitehaven and Workington sold for a median £157,000 in the year to March 2026, from HM Land Registry records compiled by the ONS. That is up 25% on £125,500 ten years before. The highest March-year median in the series was £163,014, in the year to March 2025. It ranks 23rd lowest of 575 constituencies. The figure rests on 1,367 recorded sales.
Whitehaven and Workington had an estimated population of 94,806 in mid-2024, against 94,881 in 2014 (ONS). The estimate peaked at 95,682 in 2011. 22,053 were aged 65 or over and 16,017 were under 16.
Jobs based in Whitehaven and Workington paid more than its residents earned in April 2025: median full-time pay was £50,793 for workplace jobs and £47,165 for residents. A year before, the residents' median was £41,848. The residents' figure ranks 65th highest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
3,140 business sites were registered in Whitehaven and Workington in March 2026 (3,125 a year before), and employed 52,000 people in 2024.
The Annual Population Survey puts the employment rate for 16 to 64 year olds at 74.1% for April 2025 to March 2026, give or take 7.1 points. The economically inactive share was 21.7%.
Census 2021: 42,977 households, 176.3 people per square kilometre, 23.6% of workers based at home, 27.1% of adults retired.
DWP figures count 3,668 children under 16 in relative low income families after housing costs in 2024/25, 22.9% of children here against 26.0% across the UK. Before housing costs the share was 19.1% in 2024/25, from 18.3% in 2021/22.
1,580 people were claiming unemployment-related benefits in September 2026, 2.8% of residents aged 16 to 64. A year earlier the count was 1,535.
MP
Josh MacAlister, Labour
- MP for Whitehaven and Workington since 4 July 2024
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Josh MacAlister on this site
In Parliament
Hansard records these as Josh MacAlister's latest words in Parliament, on 14 September 2026. Hansard search returns 268 spoken contributions by Josh MacAlister since 4 July 2024.
I welcome Become’s report, which builds on the review into the early deaths of care leavers that I commissioned a few months ago.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I will. I would also like to pass on and share my thanks for all the amazing kinship carers we have across the country.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Part of the kinship zones pilot is testing an allowance equivalent to the fostering allowance alongside a robust impact evaluation, but we are not waiting for that evaluation to improve England’s approach to kinship care.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
My hon. Friend is right to highlight that one of the benefits of Erasmus+ is that it builds on the Turing scheme as well as expanding opportunities available through the partnerships to staff and students. It is a very good example to draw to the House’s attention.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I thank the hon. Lady for the question and for highlighting the British Council’s role in these partnerships. A focus of the set-up of Erasmus+ will be to ensure that smaller providers can access the opportunities that comes from the programme.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh MacAlister | Labour | 22,173 | 53.0% | +8.9 |
| David Surtees | Reform UK | 8,887 | 21.2% | +19.7 |
| Andrew Johnson | Conservative | 8,455 | 20.2% | −28.2 |
| Jill Perry | Green Party | 1,207 | 2.9% | +1.7 |
| Chris Wills | Liberal Democrat | 1,118 | 2.7% | −1.3 |
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 53.0% | Reform UK 21.2% | 13,286 | 57.2% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Conservative 48.4% | Labour 44.1% | 2,144 | 67.3% |
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
Whitehaven and Workington lies within Cumberland.
- Cumberland E06000063
Who has power over Whitehaven and Workington
Every body that makes decisions for Whitehaven and Workington, 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
- Whitehaven and Workington this page: Josh MacAlister (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 Whitehaven and Workington?
UK Parliament lists Josh MacAlister, Labour, as the Member of Parliament for Whitehaven and Workington since the July 2024 general election.
What was the 2024 general election result in Whitehaven and Workington?
Josh MacAlister (Labour) won with 22,173 votes, a majority of 13,286, on a turnout of 57.2% (House of Commons Library).
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Whitehaven and Workington?
2.8% of residents aged 16 to 64 in September 2026, 1,580 people, on the ONS claimant count.
What is the average house price in Whitehaven and Workington?
The median price paid was £157,000 in the year to March 2026 (ONS, from HM Land Registry sales).
What is the average salary in Whitehaven and Workington?
Median full-time pay of residents was £47,165 a year in April 2025 (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings).
How many children in Whitehaven and Workington live in low income families?
DWP counts 3,668 (22.9% of under-16s) in relative low income after housing costs for 2024/25.
What is the population of Whitehaven and Workington?
The ONS estimate for mid-2024 is 94,806 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.