Yahoo News Local Elections 2024: Guide for North Tyneside voters heading to the polls on May 2
Voters in North Tyneside will be heading to the polls next week to select their council representatives on May 2.
Polling stations will be open from 7am until 10pm on the day to allow residents to cast their ballots not just for their councillors but for the Police and Crime Commissioner and the first-ever North East Mayor.
Voters will need a form of photographic identification to vote at their allocated polling station, following recent changes to legislation. A complete list of permitted IDs can be found on the GOV.UK website.
What is the current political makeup of the council?:
Labour: 47
Conservative: 6
Community Independents: 6
St Mary’s Independents: 2
How many councillors are up for election?:
This year is an ‘all-out’ election in North Tyneside, meaning that all 60 seats are up for grabs. In addition, the political boundaries have been redrawn with altered and new wards.
So there will be no direct comparison to previous years thanks to the redrawing of the political map. You can check your ward on the map below from the Local Government Boundary Commission.
Who is the leader of North Tyneside Council?:
Elected Mayor, Dame Norma Redfearn DBE is the head of North Tyneside Council and has been Mayor since 2013. Dame Redfearn had also served as a councillor for Riverside between June 2004 and May 2013.
The Mayor is not up for election in the upcoming May 2 elections.
Which wards are worth staying up for?:
St Mary’s:
This ward has had a turbulent political past for the local Conservatives, however, the party remains positive it can reclaim ground there.
St Mary’s, until February last year, had been represented by three Conservative councillors, including former group leader George Westwater, but they resigned from the party and went independent, accusing the North Tyneside Conservative Federation of “bullying” and “toxic behaviour”, allegations the party denied.
Since then, the Conservatives have regained one seat in the ward and think they could see it return to the Tories. Labour sources anticipate the race for control of St Mary’s could be tight and is too close to call.
Preston and Preston Grange:
This ward has seen some turbulence for Labour, following the suspension of one of its candidates, Adbur Razaq. Mr Razaq has been suspended from the party, pending investigation, over anti-Israel Facebook posts.
The Labour Party, it is also understood, has removed all support from the candidate’s campaign. Both Labour and Tory’s foresee the possibility of Conservative councillors being elected in the new ward.
The Conservatives believe that some local anger over the proposed cycle lane in the ward, towards North Shields Town Centre, may contribute to gains. However, Labour sources have countered that, predicting it is more likely down to the recent boundary changes and candidate issues.
Whitley Bay North:
Labour sources have also tipped the possibility of a Green victory in Whitley Bay North. The Green Party has placed their lead candidate, Alan Steel, in the ward, and the party has track record of campaigning in the Whitley Bay area.
Overall picture?:
Labour anticipates retaining dominant overall control of North Tyneside, suggesting around 48-51 seats. The local Tories have said they would be pleased to see 14 Conservative councillors at the end of the count on Saturday.
