Labor maintained its grip on South Tyneside Council, while the Green Party and Independents also celebrated small gains in a number of wards.
Labor has steadily lost seats in recent years in South Tyneside, missing the mark with four wards in 2021 and another nine in 2019. And Labour’s bad luck continued somewhat in tonight’s election – losing four more seats when the results came in with the Independents and the Green Party taking two per piece of the red wall.
Sarah McKeown took Beacon & Bents from Labour, while Andrew Guy reigned supreme at West Park. Independents John Robinson and Paul Brenen also took one seat each from Labor with Primrose and Westoe respectively.
Read more: Full results for every ward that held a vote in Sunderland City Council
However, despite losing four seats, the Labor Party retained majority control of South Tyneside Council with 41 full seats. The Green Party also took an extra seat from the Conservative Party, as David Herbert beat Stan Wildhirt by 129 votes when the dust settled in Cleadon and East Boldon.
The Conservative Party is now down to just one seat in South Tyneside Council, in the form of Councilor Ian Forster, who is still serving his term in the same ward.
Labor also won an extra seat in Harton overnight, as two seats were available due to the death of longtime councilor Rob Dix in February this year. Michael Henry Clare (853 votes) and Neil Maxwell (833) won the two Labor Party seats in Harton.
The turnout in South Tyneside was 38,148.
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