Labour no longer biggest party at Newcastle Council
GoogleLabour is no longer the biggest party at Newcastle City Council, but no party has won a clear majority.
The Liberal Democrats are now narrowly the largest party at the local authority with 25 seats, followed by Reform UK and the Green Party, both with 24.
But Labour, who had led as a minority administration since late 2024, dropped from 34 seats to just two.
Commenting on the lack of a clear majority, re-elected Liberal Democrat councillor Colin Ferguson said his party would "work with people who share our values and vision for the city".
He said the big story of the day was "Labour's collapse", which showed people were "looking for change".
"This isn't a referendum on Keir Starmer but you have to ask, how much has his popularity held back some of his local candidates?" he said.
"At the local level as well, we have seen two years of chaos and disarray from Labour and I think that is showing with how people are voting."
Nick Hartley, the Green Party leader in Newcastle, said the support for his party had exceeded expectations and he was willing to work with those in other parties at the council.
"People want to see politicians working together and getting things done for the city, and we'll find ways to do that," he said.
He declined to say whether the Greens would form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats.
Reform councillor Steve Rutherford said his party had performed well because it was "the party of the working class and was working for everybody".
"The long term ambition is to have a stable Newcastle where people have a little bit of extra money in their pocket, where they have proper services, don't have fly-tipping on the streets, and people are happier," he said.
Newcastle's Labour leader Karen Kilgour lost her seat, with all three seats up in the Blakelaw and Cowgate ward going to Reform.
Meanwhile, former North of Tyne Mayor Jamie Driscoll won a seat on the council after he joined the Green Party last year.
He had previously been a Labour party member but left after he was blocked from running as as the party's candidate for North East Mayor.
Labour MP for Newcastle North, Catherine McKinnell, said Labour's defeat was a "devastating loss" for local areas who had lost "dedicated, long-serving" councillors.
She said Labour needed to start delivering for its communities, but would not be drawn on whether she thought Keir Starmer should step down as prime minister.
The council's new leader and deputy leader are expected to be selected by councillors at the annual meeting on 27 May, when the new administration is formed.
There were a total of 78 contested at Newcastle City Council. The full results are:
Liberal Democrat - 25
Green - 24
Reform UK - 24
Independents and others - 3
Labour - 2
