There were 27 of the 78 seats on the council up for election, being the usual third of the council plus a by-election in the Fawdon and West Gosforth ward.[1]
Labour were returned as the largest party on the council, returning 15 councillors of the 27 seats up for election - a net loss of one seat, leaving them with 45 seats - down three from the 2023 election. The Liberal Democrats continued as the main opposition party on the council, holding seven seats, keeping their number of councillors steady at 23. The Newcastle Independents lost one seat to Labour, leaving them with three seats on the council. The Green Party took their first two seats, winning the wards of Byker and Elswick from Labour. The Conservatives also gained their first seat since 1995, taking Gosforth from the Liberal Democrats.
Following the election, Nick Kemp returned as leader of the council and as leader of the Labour group. He had been challenged for the leadership of the city's Labour group by Cllr Dan Greenhough prior to the election.[2][3]
Background
Newcastle is a strong council for the Labour Party. Labour controlled the council from its creation in 1973 until 2004, when the Liberal Democrats won a majority on the council.[4] Labour retook control in 2011,[5] and have maintained a majority at every subsequent election.
At the previous election in 2023, Labour won 14 seats (a loss of three seats) with 41.9% of the vote. This left them with 48 seats, retaining their majority. Liberal Democrats won ten seats (a gain of two seats) with 27.8% of the vote. This took them up to 23 seats, their most on the council since 2014. Newcastle Independents won two seats (a gain of one) to take them up to four seats, their highest seat total ever. An independent councillor was returned in Chapel ward, meaning the ward remained exclusively represented by independents.
In the lead up to the 2024 election, several changes in the composition of the council occurred. Former Newcastle Independents leader Jason Smith (Lemington Ward) resigned his seat in November 2023, citing health concerns.[6] Smith passed away in January 2024 having been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.[7] Liberal Democrat councillor Brenda Hindmarsh (Fawdon and West Gosforth) resigned in March 2024, leaving a vacancy to be filled at the election.
Two Labour councillors resigned from the party in 2024. Habib Rahman (Elswick), the city's first Muslim lord mayor, left the party in January, citing a "culture of racism" and the party's position on Palestine.[8] He stood as a candidate in the Newcastle Central and West constituency at the 2024 election.[9] Shumel Rahman (Monument) left the party in April, claiming he was "victimised" over his position on Palestine.[10]
On 26th April 2024, Newcastle's Evening Chronicle reported that Nick Kemp was to face a leadership challenge from Dan Greenhough, a councillor in Denton & Westerhope. This was the second year in a row that Kemp was reported to be facing a challenge from within his party, with Kenton councillor Ged Bell withdrawing a challenge in 2023.[12]
Kemp had originally served in the cabinet of former leader Nick Forbes until 2020 before resigning claiming he was being "undermined by constant sniping and personal animosities."[13] In 2021, Kemp challenged Forbes for the leadership, losing the vote by 30 votes to 22.[14] After Forbes was deselected by local members in 2022,[15] Kemp assumed the leadership after defeating Clare Penny-Evans and Irim Ali in a two round contest.
This marked the third year in a row where a contest emerged between Kemp and allies of Nick Forbes, with Bell, Penny-Evans and Greenhough being viewed as allies of Forbes.[16] The leadership would be contested at a group meeting on the 8th May 2024, six days after the election. Kemp retained the leadership of the Labour group.
Election result
The seats up for election in 2024 were last contested in 2021; because of the delay of all local elections due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the seats are up for election after three years rather than the usual four. In that election, Labour won 18 seats with 39.2% of the vote, Liberal Democrats won six seats with 19.5% of the vote, independents won two seats with 7.0% of the vote, and Newcastle Independents won two seats with 6.8% of the vote.
The council remained under Labour majority control. Labour made a net loss of one seat. The Green Party won two seats, being their first ever representation on the council, and the Conservatives won a seat in Gosforth, being the first time they had won a seat on the council in 32 years.[17]
The following is a list of seats that changed hands at this election. This is based on when these seats were last contested in 2021, not when the wards were last contested. Losing candidates who contested the election in 2024 are marked with an asterisk (*).
The Statement of Persons Nominated, which details the candidates standing in each ward, was released by Newcastle City Council following the close of nominations on 5 April 2024.[18] Sitting councillors standing for re-election are marked with an asterisk (*).
Despite losses, Labour retained their majority on Newcastle City Council. Labour council leader Nick Kemp called the results "mixed and in some cases, entirely surprising" whilst also alleging that "very disconcerting and worrying campaigns" were run in this year's election. He declined to elaborate further on this.[43]
Liberal Democrat group leader Colin Ferguson suggested the concurrent mayoral election had "changed the pattern of how people normally voted."[43]
Kemp would face a challenge for the Labour leadership on the 8th May 2024 from Cllr Dan Greenhough. Greenhough was described by local media as a "strong backer" of Newcastle North MP Catherine McKinnell and the newly elected North East mayorKim McGuinness. It was reported that Nick Kemp defeated Dan Greenhough by a margin of 23 votes to 21.[44]
Nick Kemp reshuffled his cabinet on the 23rd May 2024, with Cllr Abdul Samad and Cllr Adam Walker joining the council's cabinet.[45] Samad had defeated the then leader of the council, Nick Forbes, in a selection meeting for the Arthur's Hill ward in 2022, leading to Forbes leaving the council and his role as leader.[46]
References
^Including one vacant seat last held by Liberal Democrats.
^Including one vacant seat last held by Newcastle Independents.
^Including one vacant seat last held by Liberal Democrats.
^Including one vacant seat last held by Newcastle Independents.
