The Chronicle (South Tyneside and Durham)
Green and blue provide surprises as Labour grip weakened by two seats
FIRST TORY COUNCILLOR FOR 32 YEARS WINS SEAT IN CITY’S SUBURB
A FRANTIC election night in Newcastle saw the city elect its first Conservative councillor in three decades, as well as its first ever Greens.
In a night of high drama and emotion at Northumbria University’s Sport Central, Tory candidate Doc Anand defeated the Lib Dems in Gosforth to claim his party’s first success in Newcastle since 1992.
Meanwhile, Khaled Musharraf and Nick Hartley were overjoyed to become the city’s first two Green councillors, taking seats off Labour in Elswick and Byker respectively.
Labour retains the majority that it has held on the council since 2011, now holding 45 of its 78 seats – a net loss of two on the night.
The ruling party also lost seats to the Lib Dems in North Jesmond and West Fenham, but made gains against them in Castle and from the Newcastle Independents in Lemington.
Mr Anand told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that his win “feels like history”. The former GP, who this week was criticised for joking that he could use his position as a councillor to overturn a in Newcastle would be “the start of something special”.
Summing up a hectic night, Labour council leader Nick Kemp said: “Mixed and in some cases, entirely surprising. A Conservative popping up in Gosforth was certainly a surprise – probably for the Conservatives as much as anyone else.
“I think we have seen a surge in the Green vote, which seems to have been mixed with the independents.”
Coun Kemp alleged that there had been “very disconcerting and worrying campaigns” run in this year’s local elections, some of which he claimed had even resulted in safety concerns for candidates, but declined to elaborate further on that.
The Byker ward councillor, who has led the council for the last two years, is set to face a leadership challenge next week from Denton and Westerhope backbencher Dan Greenhough.
Asked if he believed that he retained the backing of a majority of his colleagues within the Labour group, Coun Kemp replied: “It is a private party matter. I stand for election as a leader and I think I have a
proud record to stand for. We will see what the group thinks.”
For the city’s Lib Dem opposition, there were highs and lows.
The loss in Gosforth was added to
Newcastle City Council Leader Nick Kemp faces a leadership challenge next week by another in the Castle ward, another long-term Lib Dem stronghold, but they did make two gains on Labour in North Jesmond and West Fenham. Opposition leader Colin Ferguson suggested that the impact of the North East mayoral election had affected the party’s vote share.
He said: “It has been a really odd night. A couple of results that didn’t go our way that we hoped would and a couple that did go really strongly our way, which we are really pleased with.
“I think what is going on is the
It is all about hard work and pounding the pavements of
Gosforth
Votes being counted at Gateshead International Stadium mayoral election changing the pattern of how people normally vote.”
The Newcastle Independents party lost the Lemington seat of its late founder Jason Smith, who died last year, but new leader Tracey Mitchell retained her spot in Denton and Westerhope.
The overall balance of the council is now: Labour 45 (-2), Lib Dem 23 (-), Independent 4 (-), Newcastle Independents 3 (-1), Green 2 (+2), Conservative 1 (+1).
Turnout was 27.6%.
South Tyneside Labour leader Tracey Dixon at the count in South Shields
THE Labour leader in South Tyneside has bemoaned a “perfect storm” of factors facing her party as the reason for their poor performance in the local elections.
The party lost 10 seats across the borough in what was a bruising night for a party battling a host of difficulties in the run-up to the election. Long-running bin worker strikes have damaged the party, with a last-minute suspension yesterday proving too late to sway voters.
An “inadequate” rating of the council’s children’s services following an inspection by Ofsted last year was also identified as a factor, as was the controversy surrounding former council leader Iain Malcolm’s credit card use. The main beneficiaries on the night were independent candidates, who picked up nine seats.
Independent spokesman Coun Glenn Thompson said the results showed dissatisfaction with Labour.
He said: “It’s been fantastic. This has been a long time coming – the opposition has been pushing on several fronts, with transparency being one of the key factors.
“Despite the opposition having a third of the seats, Labour have pushed us out of everything.
“What has broke the back now has been the recent Ofsted report rating children’s services as inadequate, the former Labour group leader, and the refuse industrial action.
“A combination of these things has made the public see what is really happening.”
The Green Party also took a seat from Labour, as well as one from the Conservatives, leaving the Tories without a representative in the borough. Green Party leader David Francis believed there was dissatisfaction with both major parties.
He said: “It’s been a really positive night for us. We’ve grown in our number, we have defended seats and made gains and it’s really great to see the group growing.
“It has clearly been a terrible night for Labour as well as an awful night for the Conservatives. People want something very different than is offered by Labour and the Tories.
“I’m surprised at how many seats Labour have lost.”
Labour leader Tracey Dixon did hold on to her Whitburn and Marsden seat with a comfortable majority. However, deputy leader Audrey Fay-Huntley was ousted by Independent Tony Roberts in the Fellgate and Hedworth ward.
Speaking on a disappointing night for her administration, Coun Dixon said: “This year’s election has had a perfect storm brewing with the waste dispute.
“We’re very, very disappointed. We’re doing some fantastic things and we need to get the messages out there.”
Referencing the loss of Coun Fay-Huntley, she added: “South Tyneside has lost a fantastic elected member.
“She hasn’t just been there for residents and the community, she has done so much volunteering and she was such an asset in the deputy leader role.”
Coun Dixon continued: “I’m delighted to have been re-elected. I have to say a huge thank you to my residents for giving me their support. We have got to listen to residents and make sure we deliver what is important.
“I have been working actively with regards to the waste dispute with the workforce and with the unions to get to a resolution. I’m pleased they have accepted the action plan.”
The balance of the council is now Labour, 28 (-10), Independent 15 (+9), Green 11 (+2) and Conservatives 0 (-1).