Reform secure majority in Gateshead as Labour lose control

Labour has been in control of the local authority since 1973 and had 46 councillors prior to polling day, but fell to third behind the Liberal Democrats with just 12 councillors.

Among those to lose their seats was council leader Martin Gannon, who has been in charge since 2016 and served as a councillor for forty-two years. Reform meanwhile secured 38 seats, four more than needed for an overall majority.

It was a successful day for the party in the North East, with the Nigel Farage-led outfit also taking power in Sunderland and making significant gains in South Tyneside and Newcastle. Elsewhere, the Greens secured their first-ever councillors in Gateshead, taking three seats in the Bridges ward.

Steve Campion, the new Reform councillor for Blaydon, said: “Obviously we’re very pleased with the result. A lot of the wards were close but we are delighted we got over the line.

“We knew we had a chance of winning but until the votes are counted, you never know. We can now move forward.

“We will need to meet internally and decide who is going to form our cabinet which we will do over the next few days.  The plan is to then work with officers to look to see where money is being spent and where we can achieve savings. That’s a key objective.

“We will work to see where we can improve the services for the public.”

While some senior Labour figures in the North East, including MP Ian Lavery and Mayor Kim McGuinness, have called for the Prime Minister to consider his position, Mr Gannon said it would be “utter madness” to change the leadership.,

Asked if the party should change leader, Mr Gannon told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Absolutely not.

“It’s not giving a whole-hearted endorsement of Keir Starmer, but it is not about the personality. Keir Starmer is the captain of a ship in extremely stormy waters, he’s trying his best.

“Changing the captain is not going to help. I think it’s absolute madness.”

Asked about his reaction to losing his seat, Mr Gannon added: “Personally, I’m absolutely gutted. I have been a councillor since 1984, I have been involved with fantastic colleagues and I’m proud of the service we have given Gateshead.

“However, politics is a hard game. It’s pointless celebrating achievements if you’re not prepared to take the hard parts.

“I’m disappointed for Gateshead. Seventy per-cent of people in Gateshead didn’t vote for this, but that’s the system.

“People are angry about the state of the economy, they’re angry about the cost of living. They want action, they’re frustrated.”

Labour MP for Blaydon Liz Twist also called for “cool heads” when it came to the future of the Prime Minister. She said: “The first thing I would like to say is thank you to my colleagues for the work they have done and the experience they have brought to Gateshead Council.

“I’m concerned about the future of the council. It’s understandable people are concerned.

“I think people are wanting to see more change. We know the cost of living is a big issue. People want to see improvement to our NHS, which we are seeing and long may that continue.

“I think we need to keep cool heads and assess what has happened. There are still votes going on. We needed to look at the results and think carefully.

“I’m not calling for Keir Starmer to go. I want to see us working closely and in a thorough way – we need to think about it.”