Voters in Gateshead are set and ready to cast their ballots on May 4.
Residents of Gateshead will join millions of voters across the country as they make their way to the polling stations between the hours of 7am and 10pm.
This year is a little different, however, as now voters must present photo ID in order to vote in person at the polling station. Ensure you have photo ID to hand to avoid being turned away.
Read More: The complete list of polling stations across the North East for local elections 2023
Here is everything you need to know about the local election in Gateshead.
How many councillors are up for election?
There are 22 council seats up for grabs this year, one per ward. You can find a full list of the candidates at the end of this article.
What is the current makeup of the council?
There are only two parties currently represented within Gateshead Council.
Labour dominates Gateshead's political landscape with 51 seats in the Civic Centre. The Liberal Democrats hold 15 seats with councillors across Dunston Hill and Whickham East, Low Fell, Pelaw and Heworth, Whickham North, and Whickham South and Sunniside.
Who is the leader of the council?
The Labour leader for the council is Deckham councillor Martin Gannon. Mr Gannon has been a member of Gateshead Council since 1984, undertaking various roles, before being elected leader of the council in 2016.
Prior to his political career, Mr Gannon worked for the GMB trade union for 23 years.
Which seats are being fought over?
Recent weeks have seen serious efforts from the Liberal Democrats to make an impact in Saltwell and Birtley. The opposition party is hopeful of making gains in both these wards, capitalising on the unpopular plans to close Birtley Swimming Pool and Gateshead Leisure Centre.
The ruling Labour group has been accused by campaigners and residents of mismanaging the facilities and not doing enough to keep them financially viable. The party denies these allegations and has taken steps to explore if outside organisations would be able to run the spaces.
The upcoming elections may act as a litmus test as to how much political damage this issue has dealt Labour.
Anything else to watch out for on election night?
The ward of Crawcrook and Greenside could make for interesting viewing, as the Green Party maintain their challenge for a seat. In last year's local election, the Green candidate amassed a total of 913 votes or 31.3% of ballots cast in the ward, coming second behind Labour's Hugh Kelly. Mr Kelly came away victorious with 1,324 votes.
Sources say the Green's campaign has been stronger this year, aided by far more effective campaign literature. Is it only a matter of time before the Greens have a presence in the civic centre?
What are the local issues getting people talking?
The possible closure of the leisure centres in Birtley and Saltwell remains one of the major local issues. The public outcry has been immense and some may not be willing to forgive what they see as Labour's role in the matter.
Housing also remains a major problem for Gateshead. Recently, council bosses claimed that there were still "far too many" empty council houses awaiting repairs. This creates a double effect of residents waiting longer for homes and the council losing money on rent collection.
Those living in private rented accommodation are not immune to housing worries. Earlier this year, the local authority examined expanding its landlord licence scheme, in order to maintain health and safety standards in private rental accommodation. Council officers told councillors they were still discovering major problems across the private rental sector with residents living in substandard housing.
In addition, the number of children in Gateshead Council care has been a hot topic since late 2022. A report into the number of children in council care revealed it has reached "the highest level of looked-after children recorded". The issue has fed into wider discussions of how families are meant to cope and remain stable as the cost of living crisis rages on.
Full list of candidates standing in Gateshead's 2022 local elections:
Birtley
Joseph Ronald Callanan (Conservative Party)
Catherine Mary Davison (Labour Party)
Paul Thomas Elliott (Liberal Democrat Focus Team)
Blaydon
Tom Allen (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition)
Edward Bohill (Conservative Party)
Malcolm Alfred Brain (Labour Party)
Steven Hawkins (Liberal Democrat)
Bridges
Martin Backley (Conservative Party)
Andy Blanchflower (Green Party)
Gareth Cooper (Liberal Democrat)
Bob Goldsworthy (Labour Party)
Chopwell and Rowlands Gill
Jean Margaret Callender (Liberal Democrat)
Tony Dodds (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition)
Michael McNestry (Labour Party)
Louise Beatrice Prince (Conservative Party)
Chowdene
James Peter Kenyon (Liberal Democrat)
Thomas Frederick Newell (Green Party)
David William Potts (Conservative Party)
Mark Robertson (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition)
Keith Wood (Labour Party)
Crawcrook and Greenside
Christopher Andrew Coxon (Conservative Party)
Kathryn Alexandra Henderson (Labour Party)
Oliver Christopher Martin William Jones-Lyons (Liberal Democrat)
Jack Philipson (Green Party)
Deckham
Gary Rutherford Brooks (Green Party)
David Gilson Fawcett (Liberal Democrat)
Norman Hall (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition)
Robert Keith Kelly (Reform)
Josh Alan Knotts (Conservative Party)
Bernadette Teresa Oliphant (Labour Party)
Dunston and Teams
Jordan-Lee Guthrie (Conservative Party)
Gary Robert Haley (Labour Party)
Alexander Forster Walls (Liberal Democrat Focus Team)
Dunston Hill and Whickham East
Vicky Anderson (Liberal Democrat Focus Team)
Isabel Mary Blanchflower (Green Party)
Jak Hocking (Conservative Party)
Andrew Dylan Moir (Labour Party)
Graham Steele (Save Us Now)
Felling
Peter Crompton Jackson (Conservative Party)
George Joseph Kasfikis (Labour Party)
Ashleigh Taylor McLean (Green Party)
Mohammed Waqas (Liberal Democrat)
High Fell
Francis Thomas Athey (Conservative Party)
Len Bell (Liberal Democrat)
Elaine Brunskill (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition)
Kathryn Dorothea Walker (Labour Party)
Lamesley
Sheila Gallagher (Labour Party)
Neil Campbell Grant (Green Party)
Richard Herdman (Conservative Party)
Robinson Geoffrey Stanaway (Liberal Democrat)
Lobley Hill and Bensham
John Rogan Gardiner (Conservative Party)
Eileen McMaster (Labour Party)
Andy Redfern (Green Party)
Jamie Rickelton (Liberal Democrat)
Low Fell
Ron Beadle (Liberal Democrat Focus Team)
Mark Andrew Gorman (Green Party)
Vincent Edward James Humphries (Labour Party)
Paul Sterling (Conservative Party)
Pelaw and Heworth
Nicholas Boldrini (Green Party)
John Paul Diston (Liberal Democrat Focus Team)
Heather Rhoda Maddison (Labour Party)
Ali Reza Akbari Pargam (Conservative Party)
Ryton Crookhill and Stella
Ros Cooper (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition)
Lynda Ann Duggan (Liberal Democrat)
Alex Geddes (Labour Party)
Andrew Mason (Green Party)
Doug Musgrove (Independent)
Susan Mary Wilson (Conservative Party)
Saltwell
Robert Ableson (Conservative)
Leanne Mary Brand (Liberal Democrat Focus Team)
Gabriel Rubinstein (Green Party)
Robert Lee Waugh (Labour Party)
Wardley and Leam Lane
John Stuart Green (Labour Party)
Matthew Robert Jordison (Liberal Democrat)
John Robert McNeil (Conservative Party)
Whickham North
Jeff Bowe (Labour Party)
John Callanan (Conservative Party)
Christopher James Ord (Liberal Democrat Focus Team)
Whickham South and Sunniside
Joel Jackson Byers (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition)
Sam Daniel Grist (Labour Party)
Jonathan Charles Wallace (Liberal Democrat Focus Team)
Perry Wilson (Conservative Party)
Windy Nook and Whitehills
Ruth Christina Grant (Green Party)
Kyle Lambert Murray (Conservative Party)
Jim Turnbull (Labour Party)
Susan Walker (Liberal Democrat)
Winlaton and High Spen
Maria Theresa (Labour Party)
Paul Martin McNally (Green Party)
Lewis Ormston (Conservative Party)
David Graham Randall (Liberal Democrat)
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