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Parliamentary constituency

Leeds South

Current MP, latest election result, geographic context and official constituency information.

At a glance

Current MP
Hilary Benn
Party
Labour
Latest election
4 July 2024
Electorate
75,953
Turnout
41.7%
Majority
11,279

Where is Leeds South?

The map shows this constituency alongside neighbouring parliamentary constituencies for geographic context.

Leeds South Leeds North East Leeds Central and Headingley Wakefield and Rothwell Leeds South West and Morley Leeds West and Pudsey Leeds East Ossett and Denby Dale Dewsbury and Batley Leeds North West Spen Valley Bradford East Normanton and Hemsworth Bradford South Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley Huddersfield Bradford West Shipley Wetherby and Easingwold Halifax Keighley and Ilkley Selby Calder Valley Skipton and Ripon England
Leeds South

Boundary data: ONS Open Geography Portal.

Local context

About this constituency

Leeds South covers a broad area south of Leeds city centre and includes inner-city neighbourhoods, large residential estates and suburban communities. The northern part is closely connected to the central commercial and industrial areas, while districts farther south generally have a lower-density suburban form. Major motorways, roads and rail lines cross the constituency and reflect its location on important routes into the city. Former industrial land, parks and green corridors create breaks within the built-up area. Several local centres serve different communities, but the seat remains part of one continuous Leeds urban landscape rather than a separate town or rural district.

Description last reviewed 11 September 2026.

Current MP

Hilary Benn MP

Labour

Represents Leeds South in the House of Commons.

Latest election

2024 General Election

Held on 4 July 2024

Winning party
Labour
Majority
11,279
Turnout
41.7%
Full candidate result (8 candidates)
CandidatePartyVotesShareChange
Hilary BennElectedLabour17,11754.0%-4.4%
Ed CarlisleGreen Party5,83818.4%14.6%
Karen CooksleyConservative4,17213.2%-13.1%
Daniel WhetstoneSocial Democratic Party1,8745.9%5.3%
George SykesLiberal Democrat1,3404.2%-0.2%
Muhammad AzeemWorkers Party of Britain7192.3%—
Janet BickerdikeChristian Peoples Alliance3411.1%—
Niko OmilanaIndependent2770.9%—

Election data comes from UK Parliament. Turnout percentage is calculated by Project Open Gov from Parliament's turnout and electorate figures.

People and place

A population and household snapshot for Leeds South, using validated House of Commons Library constituency datasets.

Estimated population132,173
EstimateMid-2024 estimate
Region / nationYorkshire and The Humber

Age profile

0 to 1724.8% · 32,781 people
18 to 2410.9% · 14,376 people
25 to 3418.7% · 24,772 people
35 to 4920.7% · 27,410 people
50 to 6414.8% · 19,564 people
65 and over10.0% · 13,270 people

Population figures are mid-2024 estimates from the House of Commons Library. Project Open Gov calculates the estimated population shown above by summing the six published age-band counts. View population source ↗

Home ownership and renting

Housing tenure shows how households in this constituency described their home at the most recent census.

53,551 householdsCensus 2021
Home owners36.5% · 19,546 households
Private renters30.3% · 16,210 households
Social renters32.2% · 17,262 households
Other tenure1.0% · 533 households

“Other tenure” combines shared ownership and households recorded as living rent free.

Housing-tenure figures come from the most recent census: 2021 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 2022 in Scotland. View housing-tenure source ↗

Household composition

A broad view of household types in this constituency. Project Open Gov uses the four broad groups supplied by the Commons Library so the presentation remains consistent across the UK.

53,550 householdsCensus 2021
One-person households36.2% · 19,406 households
Families with dependent children30.7% · 16,426 households
Other single-family households26.9% · 14,421 households
Other household types6.2% · 3,297 households

Household-composition figures come from the Commons Library constituency dataset. The source uses census data and Project Open Gov displays its broad household groups rather than attempting to harmonise the detailed categories itself. View household-composition source ↗

Disability and day-to-day activities

The source records whether day-to-day activities are limited and uses separate person-level tables for England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

124,390 people in the source baseCensus 2021Source comparison: England & Wales
Day-to-day activities limited a lot7.6% · 9,439 people
Day-to-day activities limited a little9.2% · 11,483 people
Not disabled under the Equality Act83.2% · 103,468 people

Comparison note: the workbook uses different source terminology across the UK: England & Wales uses “Disabled under the Equality Act”, while Scotland and Northern Ireland use “Disabled” / “Non-disabled”. Project Open Gov therefore preserves the source categories and does not present them as one single like-for-like UK legal definition.

Disability figures come from the Commons Library constituency workbook. This profile uses the person-level tables only; the workbook also contains separate household-level disability tables which are not used here. View disability source ↗

Petitions

Open UK Government and Parliament petitions that have reached at least 10,000 signatures nationally, ranked here by the number of signatures recorded in this constituency.

Petition signatures are not a poll and do not show what the constituency as a whole thinks. A person can also sign more than one petition.

Open petitionCloses 16 March 2027

Reduce the state pension age to 65 for all

Signatures in this constituency172
Signatures nationally112,527

Government response published · 100,000-signature debate threshold reached

View 64 more petitions
Open petitionCloses 8 December 2026

End the mandatory fortification of white flour with folic acid immediately

Signatures in this constituency98
Signatures nationally127,802

Government response published · 100,000-signature debate threshold reached

Open petitionCloses 20 November 2026

Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks

Signatures in this constituency84
Signatures nationally134,545

Government response published · Debate scheduled for 16 November 2026

Signature counts come from the official UK Government and Parliament petitions data and may change while a petition remains open. Browse official petitions ↗

Funding and local projects

National Lottery grants awarded to organisations recorded in this parliamentary constituency since 4 July 2024.

The constituency is based on the recipient organisation recorded in the source data. The funded activity may sometimes take place across a wider area.

Grants recorded149
Total awarded£24,480,333

Most recent awards

National Lottery grantAwarded 30 June 2026

The DAZL LS10 Family Fitness Project

Dance Action Zone Leeds/ Dazl

£4,597

Sport England · Sport

About this award

This project will deliver a year long community-based family fitness programme in Leeds. The project will be split into 3, 12 week programmes. Each session will run for 1 hour. Funding will support coach fees, equipment, travel, staff costs, promotion and facility hire.

National Lottery grantAwarded 25 June 2026

The Purple Chorus

Purple Patch Arts

£19,333

The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment

About this award

Purple Patch Arts - Community - National Lottery Awards for All England

National Lottery grantAwarded 18 June 2026

Kuluhenna Drama

Mafwa Theatre CIC

£19,913

The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment

About this award

Mafwa Theatre CIC - Community - National Lottery Awards for All England

National Lottery grantAwarded 9 June 2026

Extension 2027-28: Slung Low Limited

Slung Low Limited

£201,163

Arts Council England · Arts

About this award

Extension 2027-28: Slung Low Limited - Theatre - NPO 2023-26

National Lottery grantAwarded 9 June 2026

Extension 2027-28: Orchestras Live

Orchestras Live

£735,433

Arts Council England · Arts

About this award

Extension 2027-28: Orchestras Live - Music - NPO 2023-26

144 more awards are available.

Source: DCMS National Lottery Grants Database. The figures shown cover awards from 4 July 2024 to 1 July 2026. View official grants data ↗

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