Yahoo News South Tyneside Council local elections 2024: All the candidates and seats to watch on polling day
The local elections of 2024 are set to take place across South Tyneside on May 2, with the Labour Group of South Tyneside Council hoping to maintain their stronghold in the borough after successfully defending most of their seats last year.
Despite the overall control of the council by Labour being unlikely to change this year, the election night promises to be intriguing with several contests to watch out for.
Here's all you need to know about what's going on in South Tyneside ahead of the polling day.
How many council seats are up for election?
On polling day, 18 seats will be contested, with one seat from each of South Tyneside's 18 electoral wards up for grabs.
Each ward across the borough is represented by three councillors and has three seats.
As South Tyneside Council operates its elections by 'thirds', only one councillor will be elected to each ward across the borough on May 2, 2024.
What is the current composition of the council?
Labour has held power at South Tyneside Council for decades. Despite losing seats to opposition parties and independents in recent years, the Labour Group still maintains majority control of the local authority.
The political landscape of the council has seen significant changes in recent years, with the Green Party becoming the official opposition, along with a coalition of independent opposition and the council's sole Conservative councillor.
Currently, the Labour Group holds sway over the council with 38 out of 54 seats, while the Green Party, with nine councillors, serves as the main opposition.
Additionally, there are six independent councillors and a single Conservative councillor, all of whom have been elected to the local authority since 2019.
At present, there are no vacant seats on the council.
Who is leader of the council?
The council's leadership is under Councillor Tracey Dixon, who assumed the role in 2020 following the resignation of then council leader Iain Malcolm amid bullying allegations from senior council officers.
Since then, under a new chief executive, South Tyneside Council has embarked on a transformation journey, with town hall chiefs asserting an improved council culture.
In subsequent elections post-2020, the Labour Party has managed to retain control of the council, albeit losing some seats to opposition parties and independents.
This trend persisted in last year's local elections, with the Green Party gaining more seats in previously Labour-dominated areas, thereby becoming the official opposition on the council.
The upcoming 2024 elections will see the majority of the 18 seats being defended by the Labour Party, along with some opposition councillors vying for a second term.
With a significant number of councillors not seeking re-election this year, several wards could witness fresh faces or, in some instances, former councillors making a comeback to the local authority.
Several high-ranking Labour councillors, including the leader and deputy leader of South Tyneside Council, are set to run for re-election this year.
In contrast to last year's elections, there are fewer candidates in total, with some wards witnessing head-to-head contests between Labour and Green Party candidates.
This year's election is also unfolding amidst an ongoing industrial dispute between the council and its refuse staff, which has led to months of disruption to bin collections.
Which seats are up for grabs?
Labour will be striving to protect seats from opposition factions and to reclaim seats in areas controlled by the opposition.
A total of seven councillors, including six Labour councillors and one Green councillor, have decided not to run for re-election this year, paving the way for fresh faces on the council in certain wards.
These wards include Biddick and All Saints, Cleadon Park, Harton, Horsley Hill, West Park, Westoe and Whiteleas.
The Conservative Party, which has traditionally fielded candidates in most wards, has this year only put forward candidates in four out of 18 wards.
The Cleadon and East Boldon ward is one to keep an eye on this year as it will see the council's only Conservative councillor, Ian Forster, defending his seat against the Green Party and Labour.
While the ward has historically swung between Conservative and Labour, recent local elections have seen residents voting for Green councillors.
Another victory for the Green Party would result in the ward being represented by three Green councillors, effectively wiping out the Conservatives from the council.
The Greens are also eyeing a second seat from Labour in the Biddick and All Saints ward, following their success in the area last year.
In the Primrose ward, incumbent independent councillor David Kennedy is up for re-election, facing competition from both Labour and the Green Party.
The Westoe seat, previously held by Labour councillor Ann Best who is not standing for re-election this year, is another one to keep an eye on.
Currently, the Westoe area has two independent representatives, and the vacant Labour seat will be hotly contested by an independent candidate, the Labour Party, and the Green Party.
South Tyneside Council's leader, Cllr Tracey Dixon, and deputy leader, Cllr Audrey Huntley, will also be defending their seats in the Whitburn and Marsden ward and Fellgate and Hedworth ward respectively.
What else should we look out for on election night?
Reform UK, which fielded a local election candidate in South Tyneside last year, plans to contest council seats in 2024, with candidates now standing in the Harton and Monkton wards.
What happens on May 2?
On May 2, voters across the borough will head to polling stations until 10pm when the polls close.
Ballots are typically transported from polling stations to Temple Park Centre for verification and counting.
The poll results will be announced ward by ward throughout the night, with the final outcome expected on May 2 or in the early hours of the following Friday.
In the weeks following the local elections, South Tyneside Council typically holds an annual meeting to assign councillors to committees and roles, as well as to appoint a new Mayor and Deputy Mayor of South Tyneside.
Here's the complete list of South Tyneside Council candidates hoping for your vote on May 2, 2024.
BEACON AND BENTS.
Jabed Hossain (Labour Party).
Sue Stonehouse (Green Party).
BEDE.
John Michael Chilton (Green Party).
Terry Foggon (Independent).
Margaret Peacock (Labour Party).
BIDDICK AND ALL SAINTS.
Chris Davies (Green Party).
Shiela Hussain (Labour Party).
BOLDON COLLIERY.
Joanne Bell (Labour Party).
Simon Kevin Oliver (Independent).
Darius Seago (Green Party).
CLEADON AND EAST BOLDON.
Kevin Brydon (Labour Party).
Rhiannon Sian Curtis (Green Party).
Ian Forster (Conservative Party).
CLEADON PARK.
Steven Alexander Harrison (Independent).
John Gordon Riley (Green Party).
Ken Stephenson (Labour Party).
FELLGATE AND HEDWORTH.
Nicola Alison Cook (Green Party).
Ian Jason Diamond (Independent).
Audrey Elizabeth Fay-Huntley (Labour and Co-operative Party).
Tony Roberts (Independent).
HARTON.
Karen Dix (Labour Party).
Jim Mouat (Reform UK).
Karen Myers (Independent).
Colin Robert Tosh (Green Party).
HEBBURN NORTH.
Annette Chapman (Green Party).
Brian Goodman (Independent).
Liz McHugh (Labour Party).
HEBBURN SOUTH.
John Gerard McCabe (Labour Party).
Briony Sommers (Green Party).
HORSLEY HILL.
Phil Brown (Independent).
Dorothy Grainger (Labour Party).
Carrie Danielle Richardson (Green Party).
Stan Wildhirt (Conservative Party Candidate).
MONKTON.
Joan Hamilton (Independent).
Joan Margaret Keegan (Labour Party).
Matty McKenna (Green Party).
Marian Elizabeth Stead (Reform UK).
PRIMROSE.
Elaine Francis (Green Party).
David Kennedy (Independent).
Stephen Pearson (Labour Party).
SIMONSIDE AND REKENDYKE.
Edward Malcolm (Labour Party).
Bethany Dionne Telford (Green Party).
Kenneth George Wood (Independent).
WEST PARK.
Nicky Gynn (Green Party).
Justin Knight (Independent).
Sean McDonagh (Labour and Co-operative Party).
WESTOE.
Sandra Duncan (Labour Party).
Georgina Holt (Green Party).
Kate Owens-Palmer (Independent).
WHITBURN AND MARSDEN.
Tracey Allison Dixon (Labour Party).
Edward Anthony Littley (Green Party).
Heidi Wildhirt (Conservative Party Candidate).
WHITELEAS.
Robin Anthony Coombes (Independent).
Michelle Turnbull (Labour Party).
Dawn Wildhirt (Conservative Party).
Sophie-Jane Williams (Green Party).
