Labour’s 15-year stint in power in Newcastle is over – but there remains major uncertainty over who will run the city now. Predictions of a brutal local election day for Sir Keir Starmer proved correct on Tyneside, as Labour dropped 32 seats in Newcastle – leaving it with a meagre two.
Council leader Karen Kilgour is among the raft of senior figures who depart the city council, in a day of humiliation for her party in some of its traditional North East heartlands.
Every seat in Newcastle was up for grabs in a rare all out election that promised to radically change the city’s political landscape.
The Liberal Democrats were left as the largest party on the council, with 25 seats.
They were followed by the Greens and Reform UK, who both claimed 24 wins following a surge in support, but every party fell short of the 40-seat total required to claim a majority.
Three independents and the two remaining Labour members, Kenton’s Stephen Lambert and Ged Bell, complete a council chamber that is in no overall control.
Without a party in the majority, negotiations are expected over the coming days to decide whether a coalition can be formed to govern the city.
Colin Ferguson, Newcastle Lib Dem leader, was “delighted” to see his party emerge narrowly on top as its vote held up despite the Green and Reform bounce on either side of the political spectrum.
On the prospect of a coalition, the re-elected Gosforth councillor told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “There are obviously conversations we are going to need to have. As I have said consistently, we will talk to anybody who shares our vision and our values. It is an unprecedented situation for Newcastle to be in, we are all navigating uncharted waters.”
The Greens’ total will effectively be reduced to 23 as one of its winning candidates, Mohammed Suleman in the Arthur’s Hill ward, is suspended by the party pending an investigation and will therefore technically become an independent.
He was part of a group of candidates in Newcastle at the centre of concerns about antisemitic social media posts and was also under pressure after admitting to environmental crimes in court last year.
Byker councillor Nick Hartley, who has led the Green group on the council since previously winning election in 2024, started the day by retaining his seat and seeing two new colleagues elected alongside him.
By the end of the count at Newcastle Civic Centre, they were celebrating in areas like Heaton, Wingrove, and the city centre – where Labour’s ex-North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll sealed a return to elected office under the Green banner as a councillor for Monument.
Coun Hartley said: “What I always hear people saying is that they want to see their politicians working together for the city, for the good of residents. There is a real chance in Newcastle now to do that and to show that collaborative politics is not just something you say, it is something you do.”
However, Driscoll himself warned that city politics “is going to be messy” with no party in the majority and cast doubt over whether a stable coalition can realistically be formed.
He said: “I’m good at building, looking for the win-win. But it takes two to tango and I’m not sure everybody else at the table thinks the same way.”
While Reform won control of councils in Sunderland, Gateshead, and South Tyneside, their expectations in Newcastle were lower.
Nigel Farage’s party enjoyed particular success in the outer west of the city, sweeping up in wards like Denton and Westerhope, Lemington, and Newbiggin Hall and Callerton.
It was Reform who unseated Coun Kilgour too, winning all three seats in the Blakelaw and Cowgate ward where she had sought success.
Taking its number of councillors from zero to 24 in a day was a result that Steven Rutherford, elected in Denton and Westerhope, said was “a lot better than expected”.
He said that Reform’s messaging had resonated with working class voters “feeling the pinch” and who “want better services for their money”.
On whether Reform UK could work with any other parties in a coalition, Coun Rutherford told the LDRS: “What we are focused on is doing what’s best for Newcastle. If something benefits Newcastle we will happily support it, and if it doesn’t we will oppose it.”
For much of the day, it had looked as if Labour may not win even a single seat in Newcastle before the Kenton result offered the smallest crumb of comfort.
Senior councillors, some of whom have spent decades on the council, were left distraught by the result and furious at Sir Keir Starmer and the party’s national direction.
Coun Kilgour called the results “heartbreaking”.
She said: “So many long serving, hardworking councillors have lost their seats, and many young promising potential councillors failed to get across the line, and I’d like to thank them for their hard work and service.
“What was clear during this campaign was that whilst people saw the progress we were making in Newcastle, many voted on national rather than local issues. Others wanted to see the Government going further and faster on the change they promised in July 2024.
“One thing is for certain, Newcastle Labour is not going anywhere. We will continue to hold whoever ends up running this new council to account, and campaigning for change in our communities.”
Catherine McKinnell, the Labour MP for Newcastle North, said the voters had been “very clear in the feedback they have given us” and paid tribute to the “truly dedicated public servants” who had lost their seats.
She added: “I think we need to learn from this and listen and take a step forward to change the way we are doing things, so that people can have trust that – as a Labour council and more as a Labour government – we will deliver the change that people need in their lives.”
Elsewhere, Conservative Doc Anand lost his seat in Gosforth to the Lib Dems. He had become the first Tory elected in Newcastle in more than 30 years when he won in 2024, but was unable to secure a second term.
And independent councillor Marc Donnelly’s impressive winning streak in the outer west Chapel ward continued, in the least surprising result of the day. He claimed a whopping 2,918 votes to be elected alongside two independent colleagues, Margaret Donnelly and Lawrence Hunter.
The results of Newcastle City Councils’ 2026 local elections were:
Lib Dems 25 (+3)
Reform UK 24 (+24)
Green 24 (+20)*
Independents 3 (-)
Labour 2 (-32)
*One Green winner, Mohammed Suleman, is currently suspended from the party pending investigation.
Full election results
Arthur’s Hill:
Gareth Barber (REF) – 375
Margaret Birkmyre (CON) – 130
Hannah Cousins (LAB) – 788
Joseph Eldridge (IND) – 91
Clifford Hedley (REF) – 356
Joanne Kingsland (LAB) – 685
Abigail Macdonald (LD) – 161
Mohammed Milon (LD) – 165
Adrin Neatrour (LD) – 85
Stuart Norton (REF) – 347
John Pearson (G) – 1,314
Hayder Qureshi (LAB) – 686
Shemol Rahman (Imagine) – 51
Mohammed Suleman (G) – 1,220
Rowshon Uddin (G) – 1,311
GREEN WIN x 3
Benwell, Scotswood and Denton Burn:
Hans Andersen (LD) – 162
Susan Anthony (LAB) – 615
Daniel Astley (REF) – 906
Robin Brooke (LD) – 129
Anthony Brown (CON) – 193
Jan Grace (G) – 481
Jiabao He (REF) – 792
Robert Higgins (LAB) – 726
Rima Hussein (G) – 416
Gavin Liddle (LD) – 173
David McGovern (IND) – 402
David Minto (REF) – 954
Hazel Stephenson (LAB) – 688
Kerrin Tatwood (G) – 388
REFORM UK WIN x 3
Blakelaw and Cowgate:
Dawn Brown (CON) – 165
Rachel Davison (REF) – 885
Aurora Harrison (G) – 457
Frances Hinton (G) – 418
Gavin Hutchinson (REF) – 857
Tina Ion (G) – 453
Karen Kilgour (LAB) – 681
Brian McGreevy (LD) – 169
Michael O’Dowd (TUSC) – 35
Lauren Proctor (LD) – 140
Juna Sathian (LAB) – 812
Bill Schardt (LD) – 135
Ian Tokell (LAB) – 579
Irene Turnbull (REF) – 834
Marion Williams (IND) – 114
REFORM UK WIN x 3
Byker:
Syed Ahmed (CON) – 84
Khadija Ali (LAB) – 310
Jamie Anderson (G) – 1,491
Tanya Dawes (REF) – 630
Gary Day (LD) – 70
Steven Forster (LD) – 89
Nick Hartley (G) – 1,567
Robert Jarman (LD) – 54
Gavin Jordan (LAB) – 312
Shane Robinson (REF) – 599
Neil Scott (REF) – 565
Hedley Sugar-Wells (G) – 1,402
Will Wain (LAB) – 256
GREEN WIN x 3
Castle:
Samuel Bennett (REF) – 657
Gary Black (REF) – 565
David Down (LD) – 1,109
Mark Edwards Junior (LAB) – 308
Steve Fairlie (LAB) – 311
Andrew Herridge (LAB) – 380
Imran Mohammed (G) – 1,054
Richard Morris (LD) – 975
Jamie Robinson (G) – 1,228
Roderick Russell (REF) – 591
Dhananjay Singh (LD) – 1,037
Andrew Welch (G) – 936
Anna Wilson (CON) – 195
GREEN WIN x 2, LIB DEM x 1
Chapel:
Yvonne Alden (REF) – 1,108
Owen Bell (LAB) – 242
Mary Clifford (G) – 233
David Cook (LAB) – 272
Ian Cowans (LD) – 99
Muhammad Dahri (CON) – 100
Marc Donnelly (IND) – 2,918
Margaret Donnelly (IND) – 2,462
Ben Hobson (LAB) – 213
Lawrence Hunter (IND) – 1,903
Karen Jewers (CON) – 137
Prashasti Khare (REF) – 650
Keith Metcalf (G) – 157
James Price (G) – 140
Chanchal Samaiya (REF) – 676
David Slesenger (LD) – 67
Judith Steen (LD) – 69
INDEPENDENT WIN x 3
Dene and South Gosforth:
James Brine (G) – 1,050
David Cooper (REF) – 540
Alex Dodgson (LAB) – 638
Adam Forrest (REF) – 515
Hilary Franks (LAB) – 692
Henry Gallagher (LD) – 1,955
Gerry Langley (CON) – 194
Peter Laws (REF) – 495
Marley Nellis (LAB) – 609
Stephen Psallidas (LD) – 1,886
Nick Simpson (G) – 1,064
Laurence Taylor (G) – 961
Wendy Taylor (LD) – 2,141
LIB DEM WIN x 3
Denton and Westerhope:
Emmanuel Alawode (LAB) – 483
Vince Barry-Stanners (LAB) – 509
Margaret Bebb (REF) – 1,231
Alan Birkmyre (CON) – 150
Colin Dalglish (LD) – 293
Elizabeth Dicken (LD) – 131
Ben Feechan (G) – 276
Miles Henderson (G) – 290
Kami Kundi (REF) – 1,009
Adam Mitchell (NEWC IND) – 677
Tracey Mitchell (NEWC IND) – 776
Steven Rutherford (REF) – 1,198
Jacqueline Slesenger (LD) – 106
Zarah St Clair (LAB) – 501
Roger Whittaker (G) – 245
REFORM UK WIN x 3
Elswick:
Halimah Begum (G) – 1,302
Jeremy Bell (LD) – 130
Hazel Dixon (REF) – 634
Margaret Dooner (LD) – 126
David Faulkner (LD) – 123
Mohammed Habibi (CON) – 106
Nicu Ion (LAB) – 494
Margaret Murning (LAB) – 555
Khaled Musharraf (G) – 1,239
Timothy Smith (REF) – 618
Peter Thomson (G) – 1,135
Philip Tolan (REF) – 574
Arif Zaman (LAB) – 575
GREEN WIN x 3
Fawdon and West Gosforth:
Arlene Ainsley (LAB) – 571
Rob Austin (LD) – 1,823
Milo Bennett (CON) – 188
Callum Buchanan (LAB) – 484
John Duffy (REF) – 808
Martin Evison (REF) – 768
John Hall (LD) – 1,796
Kai Hoult (REF) – 693
Daniel Jones (G) – 604
Gary Kilgour (LAB) – 434
David Laws (G) – 587
Peter Lovatt (LD) – 1,854
Isabella Warburton Brown (G) – 598
LIB DEM WIN x 3
Gosforth:
Doc Anand (CON) – 1,638
Jack Burton (G) – 593
John Dale (REF) – 409
Colin Ferguson (LD) – 2,181
George Ford (REF) – 368
Adam Jackson (G) – 646
Andrew Kidger (G) – 480
Maria Manco (CON) – 1,040
Rebecca Mead (CON) – 1,066
Thomas Millen (LAB) – 517
Alistair Pedlow (REF) – 324
Jonathan Sabarre (LAB) – 471
Tahir Siddique (LD) – 1,980
Thomas Woodwark (LD) – 1,904
Colin Wright (LAB) – 459
LIB DEM WIN x 3
Heaton:
Jude Browne (LD) – 768
Chandni Chopra (G) – 2,329
John Dobie (CON) – 102
Lara Ellis (LAB) – 872
Joe Gartland (G) – 2,266
Andrew Gray (G) – 2,305
Steve Handford (Communist Party of Britain) – 50
Billy Hill (REF) – 339
Stewart Jackson (REF) – 332
Clare Penny-Evans (LAB) – 770
Andrew Rakowski (LD) – 706
Mark Ridyard (LD) – 950
Mehrban Sadiq (LAB) – 636
Steve Taylor (REF) – 316
GREEN WIN x 3
Jesmond:
Peter Allen (LD) – 1,451
Phliip Browne (LD) – 1,570
James Coles (LD) – 1,527
Trevor Cox (REF) – 316
Sandra Davison (CON) – 169
Tim Dowson (G) – 1,083
Marianne Kell (G) – 1,147
Killian McCartney (LAB) – 494
Ludovico Rella (G) – 1,001
Ellen Russell (REF) – 316
Janet Stansfield (REF) – 307
Fin Weatherill (LAB) – 435
John Thomas (LAB) – 420
LIB DEM WIN x 3
Kenton:
Craig Austin (LD) – 385
Ged Bell (LAB) – 1,010
Ronald Clark (LD) – 288
Gareth Davies (CON) – 199
Nick Fray (TUSC) – 45
Richard Frearson (G) – 589
Stephen Lambert (LAB) – 1,051
Jane Lancaster (G) – 600
Mick Mahoney (REF) – 978
Paula Maines (LAB) – 901
Philip McArdle (LD) – 273
Terry McNamara (REF) – 923
Milan Nemecek (G) – 541
Alison Sanderson (REF) – 913
LABOUR WIN x 2, REFORM UK x 1
Kingston Park and Dinnington:
Barbara Down (LD) – 1,643
Chris Durham (REF) – 1,034
Mohammad Farsi (LD) – 1,552
Gordon Forbes (REF) – 1,005
Simon Harrison (LAB) – 534
John Mansfield (LD) – 1,587
Katy Sawyer (G) – 443
Connor Shotton (CON) – 289
Tudor Skelly (CON) – 254
Liam Spencer (LAB) – 514
Gordana Vasic (LAB) – 471
Kenneth Wake (CON) – 262
Susie Warburton Brown (G) – 416
Dave Webb (G) – 350
Frank Wilson (REF) – 949
LIB DEM WIN x 3
Lemington:
Stephen Barry-Stanners (LAB) – 703
Adrian Butler (REF) – 1,352
Tracy Connell (LD) – 261
Ian Davison (CON) – 180
Kirsty Galbraith (REF) – 1,361
David Harrison (G) – 386
Alice Kubiak (G) – 349
Russ Lawler (REF) – 1,307
Peter Mitchell (G) – 321
Barbara Moorhead (LD) – 223
Barry Phillipson (LAB) – 817
Bill Shepherd (LD) – 188
Eleanor Woolstencroft (LAB) – 609
REFORM UK WIN x 3
Manor Park:
Christopher Bartlett (LAB) – 515
Philip Brookes (G) – 780
Deborah Burns (LD) – 1,616
Heather Chambers (CON) – 158
Trevor Cox (REF) – 619
Nathan Evans (G) – 757
John Gardner (REF) – 599
Mark Gardner (REF) – 564
Mica Hind (G) – 697
Doreen Huddart (LD) – 1,654
Danny Hutton Ferris (LAB) – 396
Christopher O’Keefe (LAB) – 360
Greg Stone (LD) – 1,691
LIB DEM WIN x 3
Monument:
Chaudhry Ahmad (CON) – 85
Nabeela Ali (LAB) – 528
Craig Cottrell (IND) – 101
Jamie Driscoll (G) – 1,100
Christopher Gray (REF) – 343
Brian Hall (LD) – 125
John Honeychurch-Kyle (CON) – 88
Gareth Jones (G) – 1,015
Raja Khan (LAB) – 403
Aidan King (LD) – 137
Alison Murphy (LD) – 142
Agnes Offiong (REF) – 318
Kiran Sayyed (G) – 959
Paul Wallace (REF) – 323
Mirza Yousef (LAB) – 388
GREEN WIN x 3
Newbiggin Hall and Callerton:
Ali Avaei (LD) – 180
Deanne Bell (REF) – 1,238
Alexander Hay (LAB) – 816
Helen Laverick (LD) – 235
Brian Moore (REF) – 1,257
Colin Nichol (REF) – 1,216
Rory Osborne (G) – 380
George Pattison (LAB) – 887
Jacqui Robinson (LAB) – 802
James Setch (CON) – 217
Andrew Swai (LD) – 156
Anne Tindale (G) – 402
Angus Williams (G) – 347
REFORM UK WIN x 3
Ouseburn:
Leon Brown (REF) – 314
Alistair Chisholm (G) – 2,066
Mike Cookson (LD) – 815
Lawrence Davies (G) – 1,896
Robert Fleming (LAB) – 277
Curtis Hollocks (REF) – 280
Gareth Kane (LD) – 884
Ali Mehmood (LAB) – 244
Joseph Morris (LAB) – 220
Matt Osbourn (LD) – 681
Philip Parkinson (CON) – 45
Sarah Peters (G) – 2,026
Marie Summersby (CON) – 54
Tony Teasdale (REF) – 250
GREEN WIN x 3
Parklands and North Gosforth:
Pauline Allen (LD) – 2,174
Paul Barrett (REF) – 670
Gerard Bartley (REF) – 615
Andrew Capocci (G) – 628
Alex Clark (REF) – 613
Benjamin Eckford (LAB) – 393
Lewys Evans (LAB) – 382
William Kilgour (LAB) – 367
Audrey Macnaughton (G) – 763
Christine Morrissey (LD) – 1,982
David Partington (LD) – 1,966
Will Rogers (G) – 581
Alison Wake (CON) – 363
LIB DEM WIN x 3
Throckley, Walbottle and Newburn:
Richard Barnes (REF) – 1,380
Kimberley Barrass (G) – 432
Simon Bell (CON) – 266
Belinda Brady (LD) – 150
Christine Cogan (LD) – 124
Harry Drew (CON) – 276
Alexis Fernandes (CON) – 244
Michael Fitzpatrick (REF) – 1,335
Angela Hall (LD) – 133
Mark Hardy (LAB) – 837
Amy Hunter (REF) – 1,297
Idwal John (G) – 417
Pat McGee (G) – 375
Adam Walker (LAB) – 851
Linda Wright (LAB) – 914
REFORM UK WIN x 3
Walker:
Ian Aird (LAB) – 325
Mark Buckley (LD) – 64
Andrew Cowie (LD) – 57
Lorraine Gingell (REF) – 1,036
Colin Goldsborough (REF) – 1,052
Christopher Metcalf (CON) – 69
Liz Panton (Party of Women) – 75
Robert Renton (LD) – 64
Richard Sharp (REF) – 968
John Stokel-Walker (IND) – 161
Chuck Taylor (G) – 972
Pamela Victor Ibitamuno (LAB) – 263
Sam Vosper (LAB) – 251
Tom Whatson (G) – 943
Matt Williams (G) – 1,068
Davy Wood (IND) – 114
REFORM UK WIN x 2, GREEN x 1
Walkergate:
Brad Aird (LAB) – 690
Christine Aird (LAB) – 724
David Cain (LD) – 243
Stephen Lowery (REF) – 1,514
Gavin Maw (REF) – 1,430
Maria Maza (G) – 544
Margaret Montgomery (G) – 653
David Orr (REF) – 1,424
Stephen Oxborough (CON) – 205
Abdul Rajib (LAB) – 541
Karen Robinson (LD) – 310
William Signey (LD) – 212
Wayne Thompson (G) – 504
REFORM UK WIN x 3
West Fenham:
Tasnim Adnan (G) – 521
Navya Bharagida (LAB) – 347
Barry Brians (REF) – 937
Sian Broadhurst (G) – 483
Owen Burbidge (LD) – 1,015
Fahim Habibi (CON) – 85
Lauren Healey (G) – 504
Saeem Korim (LAB) – 329
Michael Martin (REF) – 905
Mark Mitchell (LD) – 1,023
John Moore (REF) – 868
PJ Morrissey (LD) – 1,135
Connor Slomski (LAB) – 309
LIB DEM WIN x 3
Wingrove:
Babatope Aguntasolo (LD) – 163
Irim Ali (LAB) – 1,076
Fi Clarke (LD) – 219
John Ekong (REF) – 417
Harold Goodwill (REF) – 447
Mo Karim (CON) – 124
Humaira Khan (G) – 1,434
James Lee (REF) – 429
Joyce McCarty (LAB) – 990
Younes Mohammed (G) – 1,367
Mohammed Sarwar (G) – 1,266
Rebecca Shatwell (LAB) – 908
Colin Steen (LD) – 199
GREEN WIN x 3
