Local election results are in for all of Tyne and Wear’s five councils.
Voters went to the polls on Thursday to elect councillors in Newcastle, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, and Sunderland – with a third of each council’s seats up for grabs. Labour was looking to convert its substantial poll lead into gains across the country, but is already a dominant force in Tyne and Wear.
The results coming through have produced something of a mixed bag for the party – as well as celebrations for Lib Dems, Greens, and independents. In Sunderland, there were a couple of Tory losses amid “huge drops” in their voter turnout.
Read More: Labour lose seats in Newcastle but remain dominant force – as council leader prepares for challenge
Here is a snapshot of what happened on local election day 2023.
Sunderland City Council
Both Labour and the Lib Dems were in triumphant mood once the rapidly-counted votes were tallied in Sunderland. Having suffered significant losses over recent elections, Labour gained three seats and maintained its majority on the city council.
Meanwhile, the Lib Dems have now become the largest opposition party in Sunderland – thanks to a critical gain in Fulwell. The Conservative group will be reduced by two, with Tory leader Antony Mullen saying the issue was “not that Conservative voters have turned Labour, it is that they haven't turned out at all and we have seen huge drops in our support”.
Newcastle City Council
Four seats lost for Labour and another one gained. There were notable gains for the Liberal Democrats, who were thrilled with victories in both North Jesmond and West Fenham.
And there was a shakeup in the outer west of the city too, as the Newcastle Independents party made gains from Labour in both the Lemington ward and in Denton and Westerhope. However, Labour did win one back from the Newcastle Independents in Callerton and Throckley and maintained a strong majority.
City council leader Nick Kemp, who faces a leadership challenge next week, called the night a “mixed bag”. Meanwhile, the Conservatives are without an election win in Newcastle since 1992 – a barren run that Gosforth hopeful Doc Anand could not put an end to.
Gateshead Council
Two seats changed hands in Gateshead on local election day – with Labour suffering defeats in two areas where the council has put leisure centres under threat of closure.
The Liberal Democrats made gains in both Saltwell and Birtley after voters went to the polls on Thursday. Both are areas where Gateshead Council has put local leisure centres at risk of being closed down under budget cuts, in a controversy that stretches back to last October.
However, Gateshead remains a solidly Labour council nonetheless, with the ruling party having 49 of the authority's 66 seats.
North Tyneside Council
There was little change at all in the balance of power in North Tyneside, with the Labour Party’s grip on control holding firm.
The party lost a seat in the Collingwood ward to the Conservative Party candidate John Johnsson, but James Spowart took Cullercoats from the Tories to leave Labour holding 51 of 60 seats overall.
All the focus prior to polling day was on the St Mary’s ward, where former Conservative group leader George Westwater was standing as an Independent against his former party. Mr Westwater was deselected by his party in October, before he – along with fellow St Mary’s Conservative councillors Pam McIntyre and Judith Wallace – resigned from the party to serve as Independents in February over “serious concerns” around “bullying and hostile conduct”.
The tightly-contested ward saw Conservative candidate Ian McAlpine run out as winner with 1,366 votes, ahead of Robbie Loughney (Labour, 1,071 votes) and Mr Westwater (916 votes).
The Conservatives were also left sweating after they almost lost the Tynemouth ward to the Labour Party. With just 18 votes in it on first inspection, a re-count was ordered putting Lewis Bartoli 20 votes ahead of his Labour rival Michael Morris.
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