Houghton and Sunderland South parliamentary constituency

Member of Parliament

• Bridget Phillipson

  Labour Party
  

Members of Parliament (MPs) represent your interests and concerns in the House of Commons.

MPs consider and can propose new laws as well as raising issues that matter to you in the House. This includes asking government ministers questions about current issues including those which affect local constituents.

MPs split their time between working in Parliament itself, working in the constituency that elected them and working for their political party.

Find out more about MPs

Mayor of North East Combined Authority

Mayor of North East Combined Authority

• Kim McGuinness

  Labour and Co-operative Party
  

Combined authorities allow a group of local authorities to pool appropriate responsibility and receive certain devolved functions from central government in order to deliver transport and economic policy more effectively over a wider area. The mayor is the leader of the North East Mayoral Combined Authority and has responsibility for:

• housing and regeneration
• education, skills and training
• the adult education budget
• the functional power of competence
• housing and planning, including mayoral development areas and corporations, land and acquisition powers
• finance, through council precepts and business rate supplements
• transport, including bus grants and franchising powers

Find more about the mayor's role

Sunderland City Council: Copt Hill ward

Local Councillors

There are three local Councillors representing you.

Metropolitan district councils are responsible for services like:

• schools
• social services
• waste collection
• roads

Understand how your council works

Northumbria Police

Police and Crime Commissioner

• Susan Dungworth

  Labour and Co-operative Party
  

Police and crime commissioners are elected in areas of England and Wales to make sure that local police meet the needs of the community.

They are responsible for:

• how your area is policed
• the police budget
• the amount of Council Tax charged for the police
• the information you get about what the local police are doing
• appointing and dismissing the chief constable (the most senior police officer for the area)