2024 United Kingdom local elections: Difference between revisions
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The Conservatives lost many council seats. This was [[Ben Houchen]] winning re-election as [[Tees Valley Mayor]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-03 |title=Ben Houchen re-elected Tees Valley Mayor |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4n103d2p1ro |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> |
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Labour unexpectedly won the newly-created mayoralties of [[East Midlands Combined County Authority]] and the [[York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-05-03 |title=East Midlands Mayor: Labour's Claire Ward wins first-ever election |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-68950935 |access-date=2024-05-04 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-03 |title=Labour wins York and North Yorkshire mayoral election |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clm3vrk18exo |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> |
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The Liberal Democrats gained [[Tunbridge Wells council]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-05-03 |title=Lib Dems add councillors as party targets Tory heartland |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-68955271 |access-date=2024-05-04 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> and [[Dorset Council (UK)|Dorset Council]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-03 |title=Local elections 2024: Liberal Democrats take control of Dorset |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6py0zwy8ndo |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> |
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The Greens had their best ever local election result.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Morris |first=Steven |date=2024-05-03 |title=‘Promising signs’: Greens dominate in Bristol election |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/may/03/green-party-adrian-ramsay-celebrates-results-england-local-elections |access-date=2024-05-04 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> But they failed by one seat to take control of [[Bristol City Council]] from Labour.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Edwards |first=Matty |date=2024-05-03 |title=Greens surge secures historic victory at Bristol council elections |url=https://thebristolcable.org/2024/05/breaking-greens-surge-secures-historic-victory-at-bristol-council-elections/ |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=The Bristol Cable |language=en-GB}}</ref> |
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[[Reform UK]] underperformed nationally but did win two seats on [[Havant Borough Council]].<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/politics/reform-uk-win-seats-in-havant-borough-council-4616419}}</ref>The [[Workers Party of Britain]] won two seats in Rochdale.<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2024-05-03/george-galloway-fails-in-attempt-to-wipe-labour-from-council}}</ref> |
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==England== |
==England== |
Revision as of 08:33, 4 May 2024
This article documents a current election. Information may change rapidly as the election progresses until official results have been published. Initial news reports may be unreliable, and the last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (May 2024) |
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2,655 councillors 107 local councils in England All members of the London Assembly 11 directly elected mayors in England 37 PCCs in England and Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2024 United Kingdom local elections took place on 2 May 2024 to choose around 2,600 councillors on 107 councils in England, 11 directly elected mayors in England, the 25 members of the London Assembly, and 37 police and crime commissioners in England and Wales. The 2024 Blackpool South parliamentary by-election was held on the same day.[2]
The majority of these elections were last held in the 2021 local elections, delayed by a year from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Background
Significance of these elections
When local elections were held in 2021 the Conservative Party made gains, mainly at the expense of the Labour Party. Since then the Conservative Party has had several high-profile political scandals and crises and has seen a decrease in their popularity in opinion polling. This was reflected in the poor results for the Conservative Party at both the 2022 and 2023 local elections. As a result of the 2023 local elections, Labour became the party with most members elected to local government for the first time since 2002.[3]
These are to be the second set of local elections held under the Elections Act 2022, a voter identification law that was controversial,[4][5] meaning voters are required to show photo ID when attending a polling station. This act also means that the mayoral and police and crime commissioner elections will use a first-past-the-post voting system rather than the previously used supplementary vote system.
These local elections are to be the last set of routine elections before the next general election. For this reason the results are likely to influence both the date the general election is scheduled for[6] and the election strategies for each party.
Some Conservatives suggested framing the London Mayoral election as a de facto referendum on the ULEZ,[7] which could impact parties' attitudes towards environmental policy.
In late 2023 Labour suggested persistently high interest rates were going to cause a surge in mortgage costs affecting 630,000 homeowners who would re-mortgage between then and the local elections in May. They described the situation as a "financial time-bomb" and implied this would influence the electorate in the elections.[8]
Lord Hayward suggested that community activists and smaller parties may drain support away from the three main parties due to the directions of those parties and because the Liberal Democrat's "are no longer the obvious choice for voters disillusioned with the two main parties".[9]
As the elections neared there were suggestions that Rishi Sunak's leadership would be challenged if the results went poorly for his party, particularly if the Conservatives lost either the West Midlands or Tees Valley mayoralties.[10] Sunak quickly sought to insist to his own MPs that he would still be the Prime Minister after these elections, even if the results were poor for his party.[11][12]
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden insisted that this year's elections would be safe from cyber attacks whilst discussing Chinese state-linked hacking.[13]
Predictions
In March 2024 The Observer reported that the Conservative Party was expected to lose half its seats at this election, explaining that most of these seats were won at the peak of the "vaccine bounce".[14] Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden also cited the "vaccine bounce" as a reason to expect these elections to be "much tougher" for his party than the last time they were contested.[15]
In March 2024, Lewis Baston, a political analyst and author, posted that his analysis showed the Conservative Party was due to lose over 50% of their seats which are not changing boundaries. He found that of 613 seats being defended, they would lose 328 based on the swing seen in the 2023 local elections, but would gain eight elsewhere.[16] However, after more work, by 1 April 2024 he said he thought the Conservatives wouldn't lose half their seats because one third of the seats up for election were not last fought in the 2021 local elections, but were actually fought in tougher elections in 2019, 2022, and 2023.[17]
Analysts Michael Thrasher and Colin Rallings also said the Conservative Party was expected to lose half its seats at this election if a similar result to 2023 was repeated. They said the Conservatives would lose around 500 seats while Labour would gain around 300 and the Liberal Democrats and Green Party would both make gains.[18][19]
Sky News' Sam Coates quoted Michael Thrasher's prediction that the Conservatives would lose around 500 seats while Labour would gain around 350, but added that they consider Gloucester Council likely to switch directly from Conservative to Liberal Democrat-controlled.[20]
YouGov conducted an MRP poll from 14-29 April 2024. They said their key findings were that they "expected Labour to make significant gains across the country, but that stories will emerge from specific local authorities which could leave every party with pleasing news". They predicted Labour to gain control of Hyndburn and Milton Keynes councils from no overall control, and to make significant gains in North East Lincolnshire, Peterborough, Thurrock, and Walsall. The Conservatives were expected to make gains in Reigate and Banstead.[21]
Campaign
Conservatives
2,512 / 2,655 (95%)Labour Party
2,427 / 2,655 (91%)Liberal Democrats
1,802 / 2,655 (68%)Green Party
1,646 / 2,655 (62%)Reform UK
323 / 2,655 (12%)
Seats contested by party, Election Maps UK[22]
Both Labour and the Conservatives are defending just under 1,000 seats each, the Liberal Democrats about 400 and the Greens just over 100.[23]
Liberal Democrats
On 20 March 2024 the Liberal Democrats launched their local election campaign in Harpenden, Hertfordshire where Ed Davey turned a giant hourglass which revealed the words "Time's running out Rishi!".[24][25] Davey said he was confident of toppling the "Tory Blue Wall in Surrey".[26]
Conservative
On 22 March 2024, Rishi Sunak launched the Conservative's local election campaign by appearing at a bus depot in Heanor, Derbyshire, alongside East Midlands mayoral candidate Ben Bradley.[27][28] Due to "human error" 13 of the 35 Conservative candidates were invalidly nominated for Castle Point Borough Council seats, meaning they would not appear on the ballot.[29]
Labour
On 28 March 2024, Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner launched Labour's campaign for the local elections at an event in Dudley.[30] Starmer's speech mentioned the Levelling-up policy of the British government in the Black Country.[31]
Green
The Green Party of England and Wales officially launched its national campaign at an event in Bristol on 4 April 2024. Co-leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay gave speeches at the event with a focus on affordable housing.[32][33]
Results analysis
Party[34] | Councillors | Councils | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number | Change | Number | Change | ||
No overall control | — | 36 | 1 | ||
Labour | 1,026 | 173 | 48 | 8 | |
Liberal Democrats | 505 | 101 | 12 | 2 | |
Conservative | 479 | 448 | 5 | 10 | |
Independent | 224 | 92 | 2 | 1 | |
Green | 159 | 65 | 0 | ||
Residents | 48 | 11 | |||
Workers Party | 4 | 4 | 0 | ||
Reform UK | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
Post-election vacancy | 24 | — |
Party | BBC[35] | Sky News[36] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
% | Change from | % | |||
2023[37] | 2021 | ||||
Labour | 34% | 1 | 5 | 35% | |
Conservative | 25% | 1 | 11 | 26% | |
Liberal Democrats | 17% | 3 | 1 | 16% | |
Others | 24% | 5 | 6 | 22% |
The Conservatives lost many council seats. This was Ben Houchen winning re-election as Tees Valley Mayor.[38]
Labour unexpectedly won the newly-created mayoralties of East Midlands Combined County Authority and the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority.[39][40]
The Liberal Democrats gained Tunbridge Wells council[41] and Dorset Council.[42]
The Greens had their best ever local election result.[43] But they failed by one seat to take control of Bristol City Council from Labour.[44]
Reform UK underperformed nationally but did win two seats on Havant Borough Council.[45]The Workers Party of Britain won two seats in Rochdale.[46]
England
Metropolitan boroughs
There are thirty-six metropolitan boroughs, which are single-tier local authorities. Thirty of them elect a third of their councillors every year for three years, with no election in each fourth year. These councils hold their elections on the same timetable, which includes elections in 2024. Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council has held its elections on a four-year cycle from 2016, so is also due to hold an election in 2024.
Due to boundary changes, some other councils which generally elect their councillors in thirds will elect all of their councillors in 2024.
Elections for all councillors
Council | Seats | Party control | Details | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Previous | Result | |||||
Dudley[a] | 72 | Conservative | No overall control | Details | ||
North Tyneside[a][47] | 60 | Labour | Details | |||
Rotherham | 59 | Labour | Labour | Details | ||
All 3 councils | 191 |
Elections for one third of councillors
By-elections or uncontested wards can cause the seats up for election to be above or below one third of the council.
Unitary authorities
There are sixty-two unitary authorities, which are single-tier local authorities. Fifteen of them elect a third of their councillors every year for three years, with no election in each fourth year. These councils hold their elections on the same timetable, which includes elections in 2024. Two unitary authorities hold all-out elections on a four-year cycle that includes 2024, and the recently-established Dorset Council held its first election in 2019, with its next election in 2024 and subsequent elections every four years from 2029.
Elections for all councillors
Council | Seats | Party control | Details | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Previous | Result | |||||
Bristol | 70 | No overall control (Labour minority) | No overall control | Details | ||
Dorset | 82 | Conservative | Liberal Democrats | Details | ||
Warrington | 58 | Labour | Details | |||
Wokingham[a] | 54 | No overall control | No overall control | Details | ||
All 4 councils | 264 |
Elections for one third of councillors
Council | Seats | Party control | Details | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
up | of | Previous | Result | ||||
Blackburn with Darwen | 17 | 51 | Labour | Labour | Details | ||
Halton | 18 | 54 | Labour | Labour | Details | ||
Hartlepool | 12 | 36 | No overall control | Labour | Details | ||
Hull | 19 | 57 | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats | Details | ||
Milton Keynes | 19 | 57 | No overall control | Labour | Details | ||
North East Lincolnshire | 12 | 42 | Conservative | No overall control | Details | ||
Peterborough | 23 | 60 | No overall control | No overall control | Details | ||
Plymouth | 19 | 57 | Labour | Labour | Details | ||
Portsmouth | 14 | 42 | No overall control | No overall control | Details | ||
Reading | 16 | 48 | Labour | Labour | Details | ||
Southampton | 17 | 51 | Labour | Labour | Details | ||
Southend-on-Sea | 17 | 51 | No overall control | No overall control | Details | ||
Swindon | 20 | 57 | Labour | Labour | Details | ||
Thurrock | 16 | 49 | No overall control | Labour | Details | ||
All 14 councils | 218 | 657 |
District councils
There are 164 district councils, which are the lower tier local authorities in a two-tier system, with county councils above them. Forty-eight elect their councillors in thirds and seven elect their councillors in halves. Three district councils elect all their councillors on a four-year cycle that includes 2024, with North Hertfordshire changing from the thirds system for the first time. Due to boundary changes, some other councils which usually elect their councillors in thirds or halves will elect all of their councillors in 2024.
Elections for all councillors
Elections for half of councillors
Council | Seats | Party control | Details | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
up | of | Previous | Result | ||||
Adur | 16 | 29 | Conservative | Labour | Details | ||
Gosport | 15 | 28 | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats | Details | ||
Hastings | 16 | 32 | No overall control | No overall control | Details | ||
Oxford | 25 | 48 | No overall control | No overall control | Details | ||
All 4 councils | 72 | 137 |
Elections for one third of councillors
London Assembly
Mayoral and council leader elections
Mayor of London
The mayor of London is up for election to a four-year term.
Combined authority mayors
Nine combined authority mayors will be up for election.
Combined authority | Previous mayor | Elected mayor | Details | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
East Midlands | New position | Claire Ward (Lab) | Details | ||
Greater Manchester | Andy Burnham (Labour Co-op) | Details | |||
Liverpool City Region | Steve Rotheram (Lab) | Details | |||
North East | New position[b] | Kim McGuinness (Lab) | Details | ||
South Yorkshire[48] | Oliver Coppard (Labour Co-op) | Details | |||
Tees Valley | Ben Houchen (Con) | Ben Houchen (Con) | Details | ||
West Midlands | Andy Street (Con) | Details | |||
West Yorkshire | Tracy Brabin (Labour Co-op) | Details | |||
York and North Yorkshire[49] | New position | David Skaith (Lab) | Details |
Single-authority mayors
One single-authority mayor will be up for election.
Local authority | Previous mayor | Elected mayor | Details | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Salford | Paul Dennett (Lab) | Details |
Police and crime commissioner elections
All Police and Crime Commissioners (or Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner) in England are up for election.
Wales
Police and crime commissioner elections
All four police and crime commissioners in Wales are up for election, to represent the four police force areas of Dyfed-Powys, Gwent, North Wales and South Wales.
Constabulary | Previous PCC | Elected PCC | Details | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dyfed-Powys Police | Dafydd Llywelyn (Plaid Cymru) | Dafydd Llywelyn (Plaid Cymru) | Details | ||
Gwent Police | Jeffrey Cuthbert (Lab) | Jane Mudd (Lab) | Details | ||
North Wales Police | Andy Dunbobbin (Lab) | Andy Dunbobbin (Lab) | Details | ||
South Wales Police | Alun Michael (Labour Co-op) | Emma Wools (Labour Co-op) | Details |
Notes
- ^ Swing figures are between the BBC national projected vote share extrapolation from 2023 local elections, and the BBC equivalent vote share projection from these local elections held in different areas.
- ^ Davey served as Acting Leader from 13 December 2019 to 27 August 2020 alongside the Party Presidents Baroness Brinton and Mark Pack, following Jo Swinson's election defeat in the 2019 general election. Davey was elected Leader in August 2020.[1]
References
- ^ Stewart, Heather (27 August 2020). "'Wake up and smell the coffee': Ed Davey elected Lib Dem leader". The Guardian.
- ^ "Parliamentary by-election Blackpool South". Blackpool Council. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "Local elections 2023: Labour overtakes Conservatives as largest party of local government". Sky News. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ Kerslake, Bob (6 April 2022). "With all eyes on Ukraine, the UK is quietly set to disenfranchise 2 million citizens". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ "Local elections 2023: Voters express anger at ID rule changes". BBC News. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ "Adam Boulton: MPs returning to Westminster are already embroiled in a bitterly contentious campaign to election day". Sky News. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ Hill, Dave (14 March 2023). "London Conservatives think out loud about how to beat Sadiq Khan". OnLondon. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ Partington, Richard (2 November 2023). "Labour says 630,000 will be hit by surge in mortgage costs before 2024 elections". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ^ Bunn, Jonathan (18 March 2024). "'Disruptors' could play key role in local elections, says polls expert". Evening Standard. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ Vaughan, Richard; Langford, Eleanor (19 March 2024). "Sunak safe until May but MPs ready to act if local elections end in 'bloodbath'". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ Cowburn, Ashley (20 March 2024). "Sunak insists he'll still be PM after May even if local elections are a shocker". The Mirror. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ Walker, Peter; Courea, Eleni (20 March 2024). "Rishi Sunak urges his MPs to present unified front before local elections". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ "Dowden guarantees UK elections will be safe from Chinese cyber attacks". The Independent. 25 March 2024. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ Savage, Michael (10 March 2024). "Tories fear losing half their seats in May local polls as pre-election budget flops". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ Vickers, Noah (22 March 2024). "Tory chairman warns party is facing 'much tougher' local elections". Evening Standard. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ Baston, Lewis (14 March 2024). "I've done a preliminary scan". X. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ Baston, Lewis (1 April 2024). "Been doing some local elections preparation". Twitter/X. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ Buchan, Lizzy (27 March 2024). "Tories on course to lose 'up to 500 seats' in local elections thrashing". The Mirror. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "Labour has 99% chance of winning next election, says polling expert John Curtice". Politics.co.uk. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ Coates, Sam (24 April 2024). "Local elections: Why do they matter?". Sky News. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
- ^ "Local elections 2024: YouGov MRP predicts significant Conservative losses to Labour | YouGov". yougov.co.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- ^ Election Maps UK [@ElectionMapsUK] (8 April 2024). "LE2024 Total Number of Candidates" (Tweet). Retrieved 8 April 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Courea, Eleni; correspondent, Eleni Courea Political (5 April 2024). "England local elections: what's up for grabs on 2 May and how do predictions look?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
{{cite news}}
:|last2=
has generic name (help) - ^ "Lib Dems: Time is running out for Rishi Sunak". BBC News. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ "'Time's running out Rishi' - Lib Dems launch local election campaign with giant hourglass". Sky News. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ David Hughes (19 April 2024). "Lib Dem leader excited about toppling Tory 'Blue Wall' in Surrey". Surrey Live. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ Simons, Ned (22 March 2024). "Rishi Sunak Tells Tories To 'Go And Smash It' At Local Elections". HuffPost UK. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ McKeon, Christopher (22 March 2024). "Rishi Sunak urges voters to 'send a message to Keir Starmer' in local elections". Nottinghamshire Live. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ Dedman, Simon (10 April 2024). "Castle Point Conservative election candidates lose ballot places". BBC News. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Labour will level up better than Tories, pledges Keir Starmer". BBC News. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ Green, Daniel; Belger, Tom (28 March 2024). "Local election campaign launch: Starmer plots Labour wins 'from Hastings to Hartlepool'". LabourList. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ McKiernan, Jennifer (4 April 2024). "Greens demand more affordable housing at local election campaign launch". BBC News. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "Green Party local election launch: time to unlock policies that will create hundreds of thousands of affordable homes". The Green Party. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Curtice: What results would mean for a national vote". BBC News. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Sky News projection: Labour on course to be largest party - but short of overall majority". Sky News. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Local election 2023: Prof Sir John Curtice on what the results mean for the parties". BBC News. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
- ^ "Ben Houchen re-elected Tees Valley Mayor". BBC News. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ "East Midlands Mayor: Labour's Claire Ward wins first-ever election". BBC News. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ "Labour wins York and North Yorkshire mayoral election". BBC News. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ "Lib Dems add councillors as party targets Tory heartland". BBC News. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ "Local elections 2024: Liberal Democrats take control of Dorset". BBC News. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ Morris, Steven (3 May 2024). "'Promising signs': Greens dominate in Bristol election". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ Edwards, Matty (3 May 2024). "Greens surge secures historic victory at Bristol council elections". The Bristol Cable. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/politics/reform-uk-win-seats-in-havant-borough-council-4616419.
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help) - ^ https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2024-05-03/george-galloway-fails-in-attempt-to-wipe-labour-from-council.
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help) - ^ LGBCE. "North Tyneside | LGBCE". www.lgbce.org.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ "South Yorkshire's Mayor to seek approval to become Police & Crime Commissioner". South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner. Sheffield. 26 May 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ Kenyon, Megan (1 February 2023). "Getting devolution deal was 'a roller-coaster', says North of Tyne mayor". Local Government Chronicle (LGC). Retrieved 12 May 2023.