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Post by Admin Twaddleford on Jan 1, 2020 14:33:59 GMT
Lab majority
Elects by thirds
Current composition: Lab 51, LD 14, 1 vacant at time of posting
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Post by bjornhattan on Jan 6, 2020 19:35:08 GMT
Labour are defending 17 seats, the Lib Dems are defending 5. I'll probably write something a bit more substantial closer to the time, but most of Gateshead's wards are pretty safe. The only seat with split representation is Pelaw and Heworth, in the east of the borough, where the Lib Dems are defending. Ian Patterson was elected by just 20 votes in 2016, but if he chooses to defend his seat I wouldn't have thought he'd struggle (in more recent elections in the ward, the Lib Dems have lost by 100 then won by 500).
Mary Foy, who represents Lamesley ward, was elected MP for City of Durham. If she stands down between now and May, I think any resulting by-election would fall under the six month rule. Her seat is up in 2022 regardless.
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Post by Pete Whitehead on Jan 6, 2020 20:51:17 GMT
Labour are defending 17 seats, the Lib Dems are defending 5. I'll probably write something a bit more substantial closer to the time, but most of Gateshead's wards are pretty safe. The only seat with split representation is Pelaw and Heworth, in the east of the borough, where the Lib Dems are defending. Ian Patterson was elected by just 20 votes in 2016, but if he chooses to defend his seat I wouldn't have thought he'd struggle (in more recent elections in the ward, the Lib Dems have lost by 100 then won by 500). Mary Foy, who represents Lamesley ward, was elected MP for City of Durham. If she stands down between now and May, I think any resulting by-election would fall under the six month rule. Her seat is up in 2022 regardless. Then it wouldn't fall under the six month rule |
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Post by bjornhattan on Jan 6, 2020 21:42:34 GMT
Labour are defending 17 seats, the Lib Dems are defending 5. I'll probably write something a bit more substantial closer to the time, but most of Gateshead's wards are pretty safe. The only seat with split representation is Pelaw and Heworth, in the east of the borough, where the Lib Dems are defending. Ian Patterson was elected by just 20 votes in 2016, but if he chooses to defend his seat I wouldn't have thought he'd struggle (in more recent elections in the ward, the Lib Dems have lost by 100 then won by 500). Mary Foy, who represents Lamesley ward, was elected MP for City of Durham. If she stands down between now and May, I think any resulting by-election would fall under the six month rule. Her seat is up in 2022 regardless. Then it wouldn't fall under the six month rule Oh, I assumed that if the seat was up within six months then a double election would be held there rather than a separate by-election. |
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Post by La Fontaine on Jan 6, 2020 22:06:12 GMT
The neighbouring Birtley ward has the vacancy. I presume both will have double elections in May.
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Post by La Fontaine on Jan 6, 2020 22:13:39 GMT
Mary Foy's husband Paul is facing a sexual assault charge. He is another Birtley ward councillor, due up in 2022.
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jamie
Forum Regular
Posts: 4,969 
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Post by jamie on Jan 6, 2020 22:33:45 GMT
Lib Dems will hold their 5 current seats and have targeted Birtley, Chowdene, and Lobley Hill + Bensham the past couple of years but don't seem to have made much progress. Conversely they gave up on Ryton in 2019 and the results showed. The Greens will presumably be targeting Crawcrook and Greenside but they weren't particularly close even in 2019 election where non-big 2 parties did very well so don't see them seriously challenging Labour.
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Khunanup
Lib Dem
Portsmouth Liberal Democrats
Posts: 8,404
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Post by Khunanup on Jan 6, 2020 22:38:28 GMT
Then it wouldn't fall under the six month rule Oh, I assumed that if the seat was up within six months then a double election would be held there rather than a separate by-election. In practice that often happens but it only takes two electors in the whole of Gateshead to ask for a by-election to be called and that starts the process. If it's a competitive ward (and from what you say it isn't) then calling a separate election may be in the contesting party's best interest or sometimes if it's going to be a tough hold with two seats up then the defending party may want to have it as stand alone so they can direct maximum resources. Regardless of that, two random, unaligned people in the borough could call the election and it'd have to take place before May. |
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Post by bjornhattan on Jan 6, 2020 22:51:18 GMT
Lib Dems will hold their 5 current seats and have targeted Birtley, Chowdene, and Lobley Hill + Bensham the past couple of years but don't seem to have made much progress. Conversely they gave up on Ryton in 2019 and the results showed. The Greens will presumably be targeting Crawcrook and Greenside but they weren't particularly close even in 2019 election where non-big 2 parties did very well so don't see them seriously challenging Labour. My parents live in Saltwell ward and have been getting a fair amount of Lib Dem literature, so it's possible they're targeting there as well. They might make good progress in parts of southern Saltwell, since the demographics aren't actually that different from Low Fell. I do wonder if they've got one eye on potential boundary changes, since if Low Fell was ever split up they'd be in a ropey position. So shoring up votes in areas immediately adjacent (and unofficially part of) Low Fell would make a lot of sense. |
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Post by La Fontaine on Feb 28, 2020 10:20:48 GMT
Neil Weatherley's widow Hazel has been selected by Labour to replace him in Birtley ward. I have no news of Mary Foy's replacement in Lamesley as yet.
Meanwhile Paul Foy has resigned as chair of the Council's ALMO - the Gateshead Housing Company - and been replaced by Jim Coulter, former Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation.
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Post by labbank39 on Mar 11, 2020 14:21:17 GMT
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jamie
Forum Regular
Posts: 4,969
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Post by jamie on Mar 11, 2020 16:35:07 GMT
That’s a decent amount of Lib Dem organisation presumably gone. |
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Post by bjornhattan on Mar 11, 2020 16:40:11 GMT
That’s a decent amount of Lib Dem organisation presumably gone. He seemed to be a very hard worker, to the extent that when his seat comes up, he might have a decent chance should he stand again. In other news, I ought to give an update on what I said earlier - it seems like the Lib Dems are fully targeting Saltwell, replete with bar charts and canvassers. Labour have also started delivering, presumably in response. Apparently my parents have already received more election materials than any other local election they can remember, and there's still two months to go! |
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Post by labbank39 on Apr 2, 2020 12:37:56 GMT
Cllr John McCluery -Whickham South & sunniside and father of the above has also left the party. Hearing reports that one other may be going too. Not looking good for the Lib Dems in Gateshead.
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Post by La Fontaine on Apr 2, 2020 16:39:37 GMT
Neil Weatherley's widow Hazel has been selected by Labour to replace him in Birtley ward. I have no news of Mary Foy's replacement in Lamesley as yet. Meanwhile Paul Foy has resigned as chair of the Council's ALMO - the Gateshead Housing Company - and been replaced by Jim Coulter, former Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation. The ALMO is being brought back in house, which was proposed a couple of years ago, but then there was a change of mind. So Jim Coulter's tenure will be very short. |
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Post by labbank39 on Apr 7, 2020 10:46:41 GMT
The Labour party have selected Judy Turner and Jane McCoid in Lamesley. Judy is a well known activist and Jane is known for her work with Unions. I believe that the Labour party have selected candidates for all their wards. No idea what the Torie shave done but if I was them I'd look at WS&S, LH&B and Low Fell as wards they could make progress in.
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Post by bjornhattan on Apr 7, 2020 12:22:34 GMT
The Labour party have selected Judy Turner and Jane McCoid in Lamesley. Judy is a well known activist and Jane is known for her work with Unions. I believe that the Labour party have selected candidates for all their wards. No idea what the Torie shave done but if I was them I'd look at WS&S, LH&B and Low Fell as wards they could make progress in. The problem is the likes of Whickham South and Low Fell have massive tactical voting. In a straight fight between Labour and the Conservatives the former would be pretty solidly Tory and the latter would be pretty close, but most of the anti-Labour vote is securely Lib Dem. The best Conservative seats were actually the likes of Lamesley, and Saltwell, where their vote is around 20% and they are in a clear second place. But even here Labour are massively ahead. |
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Post by La Fontaine on Apr 7, 2020 13:30:17 GMT
There is now a massive disconnect in many wards between local and national voting. This is not just tactical voting. In Whickham North the Labour general election vote will have been in a majority, but In local elections it is now miserably low.
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Post by mrhell on Apr 15, 2020 5:00:45 GMT
Oddly this is the first I've heard of this. I like Kevin but obviously there's stuff I don't know.
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Post by La Fontaine on Nov 7, 2020 22:31:00 GMT
Mary Foy's husband Paul is facing a sexual assault charge. He is another Birtley ward councillor, due up in 2022. The case has now reached trial and is being covered in the papers. His accuser is not named. I may well know her. |
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