Kelly Tolhurst
The Rt Hon. Kelly Tolhurst is a former Conservative member of parliament for Rochester and Strood. She represented the constituency between May 2015 and May 2024.
Photo: UK parliament. Licence: CC BY 3.0
During her time in parliament, Kelly served as minister of state for schools and childhood, treasurer of HM household (the deputy chief whip), parliamentary under-secretary of state for rough sleeping and housing, parliamentary under-secretary of state for transport, parliamentary under-secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, an assistant whip, parliamentary private secretary to the secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, and parliamentary private secretary to the secretary of state for international development.
Kelly has stood in seven elections in Medway. She has been elected on five occasions.
Political Career
Kelly has served in the following posts:
Medway Council
UK Parliament
Government Posts
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Rough Sleeping and Housing Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government |
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| 8 Sep 2020 - 16 Jan 2021 | ||
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy |
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| 19 Jul 2018 - 13 Feb 2020 | ||
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Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy |
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| Jun 2017 - Jan 2018 | ||
Some of Medway's current and former representatives have also represented other parts of the country in local government, devolved assemblies and both houses of parliament. Where possible, we have tried to include parliamentary roles in other parts of the country in this section, but owing to the time and research involved, some of this data may require updating.
Committee Memberships
Kelly has served on the following committees:
Medway Council
With the exception of the council, committee terms shown are calculated by reference to the first and last attendance recorded for Kelly. Cabinet terms are only available from March 2010 onwards. Click on the name of a committee above to see all its members and find out what role the committee plays on the council.
UK Parliament
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Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill [HL] House of Commons General Committee |
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| 9 Feb 2022 - 10 Feb 2022 |
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Ballot Secrecy Bill [HL] House of Commons General Committee |
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| 1 Mar 2023 - 7 Mar 2023 |
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Business and Trade Committee House of Commons Select Committee |
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| 17 Oct 2016 - 13 Mar 2017 |
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Business, Innovation and Skills Committee House of Commons Select Committee |
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| 8 Jul 2015 - 17 Oct 2016 |
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Committee of Selection House of Commons Select Committee |
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| 14 Jul 2022 - 11 Oct 2022 |
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Dormant Assets Bill [HL] House of Commons General Committee |
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| 15 Dec 2021 - 11 Jan 2022 |
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European Scrutiny Committee House of Commons Select Committee |
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| 15 Jul 2015 - 7 Nov 2016 |
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Finance (No. 2) Bill House of Commons General Committee |
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| 10 May 2023 - 18 May 2023 |
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Northern Ireland Affairs Committee House of Commons Select Committee |
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| 22 Jan 2024 - 30 May 2024 |
Attendance at Council Meetings
The full council meets six times a year and, unless there are extenuating circumstances, all councillors are expected to attend these meetings.
Kelly's attendance record for full council meetings is as follows:
Council attendance records are only available from October 2001 onwards. Click on a term to see how Kelly Tolhurst's attendance compared to the other councillors for that term.
Attendance at Cabinet Meetings
The cabinet is the council's executive branch, responsible for proposing the policy framework and budget to the rest of the council and for taking decisions on resources and priorities throughout the year.
Kelly's attendance record for cabinet meetings is as follows:
Cabinet attendance records are only available from March 2010 onwards. Click on a term to see how Kelly Tolhurst's attendance compared to the other members of the cabinet for that term.
Attendance at Committee Meetings
Councillors usually sit on a number of scrutiny or decision-making committees. Additionally, they may substitute for another member of a committee who is unable to make a meeting.
Kelly's attendance record for these committee meetings is as follows:
Attendance as a substitute member of a committee is not included in the calculation of the attendance rate. Committee attendance records are only available from October 2001 onwards. Click on a term to see how Kelly Tolhurst's attendance compared to the other councillors for that term.
We are still working on adding historic attendance records to our database. The earliest council meeting we have attendance data for is that held on 13 November 2008. The earliest committee meeting we have attendance data for is that held on 21 November 2007. Please bear with us while we work back to the earliest data available.
Councillors' Allowances
All councillors are entitled to a basic allowance and to claim for certain travel and subsistence expenses. Some councillors have special responsibilities (e.g. a cabinet portfolio or chairing a committee) and receive an additional allowance.
The amount Kelly received each year in allowances and expenses was:
| Total | £58,303.56 | |
| Basic allowance | £35,760.06 | |
| Special responsibility allowance | £22,464.17 | |
| Travel and subsistence | £79.33 |
Allowances information is only available from 2005 onwards. Click on a year to see how Kelly Tolhurst's allowances compared to the other councillors for that year.
Voting History
Most decisions taken by councillors at meetings of the full council are made by unanimous agreement or, if the decision is disputed, by show of hands. However, the council's constitution states that in certain circumstances, or if six or more members request, a "recorded vote" may be taken, where each councillor's vote is recorded in the minutes of the meeting.
The votes recorded for Kelly are as follows:
2015 to 2019
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Establishment of Committees, Appointments and Schedule of Meetings 2017/2018 (Amendment) 27 Apr 2017 |
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| Kelly Tolhurst voted against |
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Council: Reduce Time to Trigger Severe Weather Emergency Protocol 26 Jan 2017 |
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| Kelly Tolhurst was absent from the vote |
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Government: Reverse Planned Changes to Education (Amendment) 28 Apr 2016 |
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| Kelly Tolhurst voted in favour |
2011 to 2015
Recorded votes are only available from December 2001 onwards. Click on a vote to see the full details of the motion and how the other councillors voted.
MPs' Expenses
All members of parliament receive a basic salary and some receive an additional salary if they have specific parliamentary jobs. Ministerial salaries are paid by a separate body and not listed here.
MPs are entitled to claim the london area living payment (LALP) to help cover the increased cost of living in central London, or otherwise claim accommodation expenses for a second property or hotel stays. They are also entitled to claim expenses to cover the cost of running their office (rent, essential bills and staff payroll) and essential travel.
All expenses are within agreed limits set by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.
The amount Kelly received each year in salary and expenses was:
| 2022/2023 | £265,729.98 |
| 2021/2022 | £256,397.79 |
| 2020/2021 | £232,326.22 |
| 2019/2020 | £213,797.92 |
| 2018/2019 | £248,033.03 |
| 2017/2018 | £222,173.16 |
| 2016/2017 | £204,249.23 |
| 2015/2016 | £160,603.35 |
MPs' expenses information is only available from 2010 onwards. Click on a year to see a detailed breakdown of Kelly Tolhurst's salary and expenses.
Electoral History
Kelly has stood in the following elections in Medway:
Medway Council
UK Parliament
A green bar on the right hand side of the result indicates that Kelly Tolhurst was elected, while a red bar indicates they were not elected. Click on a card to see the full results for that election.
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