The 2021 Newcastle City Council election took place on 6 May 2021 to elect members of Newcastle City Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections across the United Kingdom.

Twenty-eight seats were contested: the 26 seats forming the ordinary election, plus casual vacancies in Byker and Chapel. The additional Byker seat followed the death of Labour councillor George Allison in March 2020, while the additional Chapel seat followed the resignation of independent councillor Sandra Davison in March 2021. Both vacancies were contested as part of the ordinary election poll rather than in separate standalone by-elections.

In the previous council election in 2019, the Labour Party maintained its control of the council, holding 54 seats after the election. There were twenty Liberal Democrat councillors, three independent councillors and one Newcastle Independent councillor.

Background

History The Local Government Act 1972 created a two-tier system of metropolitan counties and districts covering Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, the West Midlands, and West Yorkshire starting in 1974. Newcastle was a district of the Tyne and Wear metropolitan county. The Local Government Act 1985 abolished the metropolitan counties, with metropolitan districts taking on most of their powers as metropolitan boroughs. The North of Tyne Combined Authority was created in 2018 and began electing the mayor of the North of Tyne from 2019, which was given strategic powers covering a region covering some of the same area as the former Tyne and Wear metropolitan county, as well as Northumberland.

Since its creation, Newcastle has variously been under Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative control. The Liberal Democrats held a majority of seats on the council from 2004 until 2011, when Labour gained enough seats to control the council. Nick Forbes became leader of the council. Labour continued to gain seats until the 2019 election, when the party lost two seats but continued to have an overall majority.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England produced new boundaries for Newcastle ahead of the 2018 election, meaning that the 2018 elections were all-out, with all councillors being elected before returning to electing by thirds. Candidates up for re-election in 2021 were those who came second in each ward in 2018.

Results summary

Ward results Arthur's Hill

Benwell and Scotswood

Blakelaw

Byker

Two seats were contested in Byker: the seat due for election in the ordinary cycle and the casual vacancy caused by the death of Labour councillor George Allison in March 2020.

Callerton and Throckley

Castle

Chapel

Two seats were contested in Chapel: the seat due for election in the ordinary cycle and the casual vacancy caused by the resignation of independent councillor Sandra Davison in March 2021.

Dene and South Gosforth

Denton and Westerhope

Elswick

Fawdon and West Gosforth

Gosforth

Heaton

Kenton

Kingston Park South and Newbiggin Hall

Lemington

Manor Park

Monument

North Jesmond

Ouseburn

Parklands

South Jesmond

Walker

Walkergate

West Fenham

Wingrove

Changes 2021–2022 Following the election, Nick Forbes defeated a leadership challenge from Nick Kemp by 30 votes to 22 and remained leader of the Labour group. Karen Kilgour defeated Joyce McCarty by 28 votes to 24 to become deputy leader. In March 2022, Kemp was elected Labour group leader after Forbes was not reselected as a candidate for the 2022 election. Forbes remained leader of the council until after the election. Later in March 2022, Labour councillor Jeremy Beecham retired as a councillor for Benwell and Scotswood after 55 years on the council. Labour councillor Oskar Avery also resigned his Blakelaw seat in March 2022. He subsequently stood unsuccessfully in Chapel at the 2022 election. At the end of March 2022, Labour councillor Joyce McCarty (Wingrove) was suspended by the party pending an investigation. Because her nomination papers had already been submitted, she remained listed as a Labour candidate at the 2022 election.

By-elections

Castle

The by-election was triggered by the death of Liberal Democrat councillor Anita Lower in July 2021.

References