Polly Billington Portrait

Polly Billington

Labour - East Thanet

6,971 (16.3%) majority - 2024 General Election

First elected: 4th July 2024


Polly Billington has no previous appointments


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Polly Billington has voted in 15 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Polly Billington Division Votes

Debates during the 2024 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Sarah Sackman (Labour)
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
(3 debate interactions)
Claire Coutinho (Conservative)
Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
(2 debate interactions)
Andrew Bowie (Conservative)
Shadow Minister (Energy Security and Net Zero)
(2 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Legislation Debates
Great British Energy Bill 2024-26
(71 words contributed)
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View all Polly Billington's debates

Latest EDMs signed by Polly Billington

17th July 2024
Polly Billington signed this EDM on Thursday 18th July 2024

200th anniversary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution

Tabled by: Helena Dollimore (Labour (Co-op) - Hastings and Rye)
That this House congratulates the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) on its 200th anniversary of saving lives at sea; thanks all crew members who have risked their lives to save over 140,000 lives at sea; and pays tribute to all volunteers past and present who support this vital work.
53 signatures
(Most recent: 7 Oct 2024)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 38
Liberal Democrat: 6
Plaid Cymru: 4
Conservative: 2
Independent: 1
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Scottish National Party: 1
View All Polly Billington's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Polly Billington, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Polly Billington has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Polly Billington has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

Polly Billington has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Polly Billington has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 10 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
9th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an estimate of how many (a) museums and galleries, (b) theatres and opera houses and (c) cinemas have closed in Kent since 2010.

DCMS does not hold information on the number of closures of (a) museums and galleries, (b) theatres and opera houses and (c) cinemas since 2010. However, DCMS sector economic estimates have business demographics data, which gives insights into the numbers of cultural businesses and the Office for National Statistics has data on business births and deaths.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
9th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an estimate of how many (a) museums and galleries, (b) theatres and opera houses and (c) cinemas have closed in Thanet District since 2010.

DCMS does not hold information on the number of closures of (a) museums and galleries, (b) theatres and opera houses and (c) cinemas since 2010. However, DCMS sector economic estimates have business demographics data, which gives insights into the numbers of cultural businesses and the Office for National Statistics has data on business births and deaths.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
9th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an estimate of how many (a) museums and galleries, (b) theatres and opera houses and c) cinemas have closed since 2010.

DCMS does not hold information on the number of closures of (a) museums and galleries, (b) theatres and opera houses and (c) cinemas since 2010. However, DCMS sector economic estimates have business demographics data, which gives insights into the numbers of cultural businesses and the Office for National Statistics has data on business births and deaths.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
9th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an estimate of how many creative industry businesses have closed (a) in Thanet District, (b) in Kent and (c) nationally since 2010.

The Office for National Statistics suggests that between 2014 and 2022, the number of creative industry businesses that closed were:

  • 305 in Thanet
  • 6,605 in Kent
  • 245,850 in England.

Between 2010 and 2018 there were 344,105 creative industry business closures across the UK.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
8th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the financial impact of reductions in arts funding provided by her Department since 2010 on the creative sector in (a) Thanet District, (b) Kent and (c) England.

As part of the Government’s “Creating Growth” plan, DCMS is undertaking a review of current and past funding for the arts, culture, and heritage sectors, which will include such an assessment on a national and regional level.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
8th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an estimate of changes to levels of funding to music education in schools (a) in real terms and (b) as a percentage since 2010; and what the level of funding in 2010 is at current values.

This government is clear that arts and music should be part of every child’s education.

The Independent Curriculum and Assessment Review will advise on how the department delivers a broader curriculum for every child, including subjects such as art and, music and drama. The department will also support children to study a creative or vocational subject to 16 and ensure accountability measures reflect this.

Schools have autonomy over how they spend their core funding and can decide how to best allocate their resources for the benefit of their students. The department does not provide schools with additional in-year funding for art, craft and design education, or for dance, drama or music education. Schools do not report back on the funding they have allocated to different subjects.

The total funding for mainstream schools in 2023/24 through the dedicated schools grant (DSG) and mainstream schools additional grant (MSAG) was £44.3 billion. The department cannot provide comparable funding data back to 2010 due to the changes in the funding system since that time. In particular, funding for schools was only identified separately from funding for high needs or early years in 2013, and funding for central school services provided by local authorities was split out from the schools block funding in 2018/2019.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
8th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of how much funding her Department provided for drama education in schools in the (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2023-24 financial year; and if she will make an assessment of the difference in (i) real terms and (ii) percentage terms between funding in the (A) 2009-10 and (B) 2010-11 financial year and that in the 2023-24 financial year.

This government is clear that arts and music should be part of every child’s education.

The Independent Curriculum and Assessment Review will advise on how the department delivers a broader curriculum for every child, including subjects such as art and, music and drama. The department will also support children to study a creative or vocational subject to 16 and ensure accountability measures reflect this.

Schools have autonomy over how they spend their core funding and can decide how to best allocate their resources for the benefit of their students. The department does not provide schools with additional in-year funding for art, craft and design education, or for dance, drama or music education. Schools do not report back on the funding they have allocated to different subjects.

The total funding for mainstream schools in 2023/24 through the dedicated schools grant (DSG) and mainstream schools additional grant (MSAG) was £44.3 billion. The department cannot provide comparable funding data back to 2010 due to the changes in the funding system since that time. In particular, funding for schools was only identified separately from funding for high needs or early years in 2013, and funding for central school services provided by local authorities was split out from the schools block funding in 2018/2019.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
8th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of how much funding her Department provided for dance education in schools in the (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2023-24 financial year; and if she will make an assessment of the difference in (i) real terms and (ii) percentage terms between funding in the (A) 2009-10 and (B) 2010-11 financial year and that in the 2023-24 financial year.

This government is clear that arts and music should be part of every child’s education.

The Independent Curriculum and Assessment Review will advise on how the department delivers a broader curriculum for every child, including subjects such as art and, music and drama. The department will also support children to study a creative or vocational subject to 16 and ensure accountability measures reflect this.

Schools have autonomy over how they spend their core funding and can decide how to best allocate their resources for the benefit of their students. The department does not provide schools with additional in-year funding for art, craft and design education, or for dance, drama or music education. Schools do not report back on the funding they have allocated to different subjects.

The total funding for mainstream schools in 2023/24 through the dedicated schools grant (DSG) and mainstream schools additional grant (MSAG) was £44.3 billion. The department cannot provide comparable funding data back to 2010 due to the changes in the funding system since that time. In particular, funding for schools was only identified separately from funding for high needs or early years in 2013, and funding for central school services provided by local authorities was split out from the schools block funding in 2018/2019.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
8th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of how much funding her Department provided for (a) art, (b) craft and (c) design education in schools in the (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2023-24 financial year; and if she will make an assessment of the difference in (A) real terms and (B) percentage terms between funding in the (1) 2009-10 and (2) 2010-11 financial year and that in the 2023-24 financial year.

This government is clear that arts and music should be part of every child’s education.

The Independent Curriculum and Assessment Review will advise on how the department delivers a broader curriculum for every child, including subjects such as art and, music and drama. The department will also support children to study a creative or vocational subject to 16 and ensure accountability measures reflect this.

Schools have autonomy over how they spend their core funding and can decide how to best allocate their resources for the benefit of their students. The department does not provide schools with additional in-year funding for art, craft and design education, or for dance, drama or music education. Schools do not report back on the funding they have allocated to different subjects.

The total funding for mainstream schools in 2023/24 through the dedicated schools grant (DSG) and mainstream schools additional grant (MSAG) was £44.3 billion. The department cannot provide comparable funding data back to 2010 due to the changes in the funding system since that time. In particular, funding for schools was only identified separately from funding for high needs or early years in 2013, and funding for central school services provided by local authorities was split out from the schools block funding in 2018/2019.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
9th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an estimate of how much funding to Thanet District Council has been cut since 2010 in (a) real terms and (b) as a percentage; and whether she has made an estimate of the potential current level of funding without the cuts.

We understand that improving how local government is funded is crucial to enabling councils to deliver for local residents and ensuring we can deliver our missions, and we acknowledge the real pressures faced by councils in dealing with demand for vital services. We will provide councils with more stability and certainty through moving towards multi-year funding settlements and by ending wasteful competitive bidding. This will ensure councils can plan their finances for the future properly, delivering better value for money for taxpayers.

For 2024/25, the Local Government Finance Settlement was £64.7 billion. For Thanet Council, this made available up to £20.3 million, an increase of £1.1 million, or 5.9% on 2023-24.

Future local authority funding decisions will be a matter for the next Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement. We want to hear from councils about the financial challenges they are facing and we are committed to improving the local government finance landscape in this Parliament.

Jim McMahon
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)