North Tyneside Council

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North Tyneside Council
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1974
Leadership
Brian Burdis,
Labour
since 18 May 2023[1]
Norma Redfearn,
Labour
since 6 May 2013
Paul Hanson
since August 2018[2]
Structure
SeatsElected mayor plus 60 councillors
Political groups
Administration (48)
  Labour (48)
Other parties (13)
  Conservative (7)
  Independent (6)
Elections
First-past-the-post
Last election
4 May 2023
Next election
2 May 2024
Meeting place
Quadrant East, 16 The Silverlink North, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE27 0BY
Website
my.northtyneside.gov.uk

North Tyneside Council (or North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council) is the local authority for the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It is one of five such councils in Tyne and Wear, and one of 36 in England. It provides the majority of local government services in North Tyneside.

History[edit]

North Tyneside was created in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 as one of five districts within the new metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear. The district covered the whole area of three former districts and parts of another two, which were all abolished at the same time:

The whole area had been in Northumberland prior to the reforms; as a county borough, Tynemouth had been independent from Northumberland County Council but had been part of Northumberland for ceremonial purposes.[3] The new district was granted borough status from its creation, allowing it to appoint a mayor.[4]

North Tyneside Council initially provided district-level functions, with county-level functions being provided by Tyne and Wear County Council. The county council was abolished in 1986, after only twelve years in existence, and its functions passed to the area's five district councils.[5]

In 2002 the council changed to having a directly elected mayor; prior to that the mayor had been a more ceremonial position.

Governance[edit]

Since 1986 the council has provided both district-level and county-level functions, with some services being provided through joint arrangements with the other Tyne and Wear councils. Since 2018 the council has been a member of the North of Tyne Combined Authority, which is due to be replaced by the larger North East Mayoral Combined Authority in May 2024.[6]

Political control[edit]

The council has been under Labour majority control since 2011.

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[7][8]

Party in control Years
Labour 1974–1986
No overall control 1986–1987
Labour 1987–2004
No overall control 2004–2008
Conservative 2008–2010
No overall control 2010–2011
Labour 2011–present

Leadership[edit]

Prior to 2002, political leadership was provided by the leader of the council. In 2002 the council changed to having a directly elected mayor. There have been periods where the mayor is of one party but the majority of the councillors are of another party.

The leaders from 1974 to 2002 were:

Councillor Party From To
Jim Bamborough[9] Labour 1 Apr 1974 18 May 1984
Brian Flood Labour 18 May 1984 5 May 1996
Rita Stringfellow[10] Labour May 1996 5 May 2002

The mayors since 2002 have been:

Mayor Party From To
Chris Morgan Conservative 6 May 2002 18 Apr 2003
Linda Arkley Conservative 12 Jun 2003 8 May 2005
John Harrison Labour 9 May 2005 7 Jun 2009
Linda Arkley Conservative 8 Jun 2009 5 May 2013
Norma Redfearn Labour 6 May 2013

Composition[edit]

Following the 2023 election and subsequent changes of allegiance up to March 2024, the composition of the council (excluding the elected mayor's seat) was:[11]

Party Councillors
Labour 47[a]
Conservative 7[b]
Independent 6
Total 60

Of the independent councillors, four sit together as the "Community Independent" group, the other two from the "Independent Group".[14] The next election is due in May 2024.

Elections[edit]

Since the last boundary changes in 2004 the council has comprised 60 councillors representing 20 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four-year term of office.[15] New ward boundaries have been drawn up to come into effect for the May 2024 elections.[16]

Premises[edit]

Wallsend Town Hall: Council's meeting place 1974–2008

Since 2008 the council has been based at Quadrant East, a modern office building at the Cobalt Business Park. The building has a Newcastle postal address; it is in the part of the borough that was the County Borough of Tynemouth prior to 1974.[17]

Prior to 2008 the council's offices were in several locations across the borough. Meetings were held at Wallsend Town Hall.[18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Including one vacant seat in Valley ward formerly held by Labour councillor Carole Burdis until her death in January 2024.[12]
  2. ^ Including one vacant seat in Cullercoats ward formerly held by Conservative councillor Linda Arkley until her death in October 2023.[13]
  1. ^ "Council minutes, 18 May 2023". North Tyneside Council. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  2. ^ Holland, Daniel (22 June 2018). "Who is Paul Hanson? Meet North Tyneside Council's new chief executive". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Local Government Act 1972: Schedule 1", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70 (sch. 1)
  4. ^ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Local Government Act 1985", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1985 c. 51, retrieved 28 March 2024
  6. ^ "North East devolution deal". GOV.UK. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  7. ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  8. ^ "North Tyneside". BBC News Online. 19 April 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  9. ^ Trelease, Helen (10 May 1984). "Council boss loses battle: 10-year reign ends". The Journal. Newcastle upon Tyne. p. 9. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Ex-Labour leader will stand down". Chronicle Live. 5 November 2003. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  11. ^ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  12. ^ Boothroyd, David (19 January 2024). "Lib Dems get a huge Hampton boost". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  13. ^ Shakespeare, Austen (13 October 2023). "Tributes to twice-elected Mayor Linda Arkley OBE - a 'passionate advocate' for North Tyneside". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Your councillors by party". North Tyneside Council. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  15. ^ "The Borough of North Tyneside (Electoral Changes) Order 2004", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2004/364, retrieved 27 March 2024
  16. ^ "The North Tyneside (Electoral Changes) Order 2024", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2024/138, retrieved 27 March 2024
  17. ^ "Quadrant, North Tyneside Council". Art UK. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  18. ^ "Budget Changes Secure Services". BBC. 11 March 2003. Retrieved 21 November 2020.