The Liberal Democrats will run Newcastle City Council, after striking a deal to secure support from the Green Party in a “new era” for Tyneside politics.
A Lib Dem minority administration is set to take control at the Civic Centre, after a dramatic set of local elections earlier this month left no party with a majority in the city and therefore able to govern alone.
They will do so under a “stability and co-operation” agreement with the Greens that will see the two groups collaborate on major issues.
Gosforth Lib Dem councillor Colin Ferguson is expected to be formally appointed as council leader at the local authority’s annual general meeting on Wednesday afternoon.
The 7 May local elections resulted in a huge shift in the balance of political power in Newcastle, ending Labour’s 15-year reign.
But no party came close to securing a majority of the council’s 78 seats – with the Lib Dems now holding 25, Reform UK on 24, and the Greens with 23.
That split left a major question mark over how the council will function for the next 12 months.
Forming a coalition
Doubt was quickly cast over suggestions of a Lib Dem-Green coalition, while the chances of either of those parties entering into a deal with Reform seemed extremely remote given their major political differences.
After more than two weeks of behind the scenes talks, it has now been confirmed that the Lib Dems will form the council’s new administration and take executive responsibility for leading the authority.
In a joint announcement, the parties said that Greens would “serve as a co-operative opposition” through a confidence and supply arrangement.
The deal is expected to give the Greens influence over the Lib Dem administration’s policies, in return for votes in the council chamber on an issue-by-issue basis.
The two groups hailed the deal on Tuesday afternoon, having successfully managed to decide who will lead the council at a time when political stalemates persist in other fractured parts of the country left in no overall political control – such as Birmingham and Oldham.
Coun Ferguson comment
Coun Ferguson said: “Voters in Newcastle have totally changed the political set-up at the Civic Centre. Our priority has been to ensure the council is stable, working cross-party, and delivering the change the people of Newcastle want to see.
“It’s clear we need to work together to implement a forward looking set of policies that works for every resident of the city, and we will shortly announce policy objectives for the year ahead. I look forward to working with the Green group and others across the whole chamber to deliver meaningful change quickly, which people can see in their communities.”
Coun Hartley comment
Coun Nick Hartley, leader of the council’s Green group, said the deal signalled a “new era for Newcastle politics”.
He added: “Residents want to see politicians putting the interests of Newcastle ahead of tribal politics and working together to improve life across our city. This agreement allows the Greens to remain an independent and co-operative opposition while playing a meaningful role in shaping the future direction of Newcastle and strengthening democratic accountability.”
The Greens and Lib Dems said that their agreement would also enhance the role of the council’s scrutiny committees, establish a cross-party working group, and commit both parties to “approaching political debate in good faith and in the interests of Newcastle residents”.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands that talks were held over a formal coalition arrangement between the Greens and Lib Dems, but failed to produce a power-sharing agreement.
An intriguing question persists ahead of Wednesday’s council AGM over who will now become the city’s official opposition.
While Reform and the Greens both won 24 seats at the local elections, the Greens have effectively had their total reduced to 23 as one of their new members is currently suspended by the party. Arthur’s Hill representative Mohammed Suleman therefore sits as an independent.
Reform’s position as the council’s second largest party would, by convention, make them the official opposition.
However, the Greens are thought to have been keen to take that title themselves. As well as formally voting in the new council leader, councillors will also vote on Wednesday to appoint the opposition leader.
That could mean that the four independent members and two remaining Labour councillors have a decisive role to play in selecting the official opposition.
Liberal Democrat Henry Gallagher, who sits in the Dene and South Gosforth ward, is expected to be reappointed to the ceremonial position of lord mayor for a second term.
The Greens’ Alistair Chisholm, an Ouseburn ward councillor who defected from Labour last year, is in line to become the deputy mayor and sheriff of Newcastle.
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