Peter Tennick

Reform UK retained the Throckley, Walbottle and Newburn seat in a Newcastle City Council by-election. Martin Evison won with 901 votes, ahead of Liberal Democrat Stephen Kelly on 670 and Labour’s Linda Wright on 534; the Green and Conservative candidates received 103 and 101 votes respectively. The result preserved Reform’s position as Newcastle’s second-largest party, while the Liberal Democrats recorded a major increase in vote share but remained short of victory. Labour’s hoped-for recovery after losing council control in May did not materialize. Turnout was 33%, and the result did not change overall council control, with the Liberal Democrats continuing to lead a minority administration supported by the Greens.