Mayor of North Tyneside

Political position

Not to be confused with Mayor of the North of Tyne.

Mayor of North Tyneside

Coat of arms of the Metropolitan Borough of North Tyneside

Incumbent
Karen Clark

since 5 May 2025

Style| No courtesy title or style
Appointer| Electorate of North Tyneside
Term length| Four years

The Mayor of North Tyneside is the executive mayor of the borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England, providing political leadership for North Tyneside Council. The incumbent since 2025 is Karen Clark. A Mayoral Referendum was held on 5 May 2016 to determine if residents wished to retain the Mayoral system or change to a committee system. The number of votes for continuing with the mayoral system was 32,546 (57.5%) against 23,703 (41.8%) for a committee system.[citation needed]

Until 2023, mayoral elections were held under the supplementary vote electoral system. The mayor is now elected through first-past-the-post voting, after the electoral system for mayoral elections in England were changed by the Elections Act 2022.[1][2]

## Referendum

[edit]

Mayor of North Tyneside referendum
18 October 2001  Choice  | Votes  | %

|
|

Elected Mayor  | 30,262 | 57.6
Cabinet System  | 22,296  | 42.4
Required majority  | 50
Total votes | 52,558 | 100.00
Source: House of Commons Library[3]
Referendum on how North Tyneside is governed
6 May 2016  Choice  | Votes  | %

|
|

Elected Mayor  | 32,546 | 57.5
Committee System  | 24,059  | 42.5
Required majority  | 50
Total votes | 56,605 | 100.00

## Election results

[edit]

### 2002

[edit]

Mayor of North Tyneside election 2 May 2002[4]

Party  | Candidate  | 1st round  | 2nd round  | 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round
Total  | Of round  | Transfers  | Total  | Of round
| Conservative | Christopher Morgan | 21,829  | 35.9%  | 4,254  | 26,083  | 51.5%  |

| Labour | Eddie Darke  | 19,601  | 32.2%  | 4,930  | 24,531  | 48.5%  |

| Liberal Democrats | Michael Huscroft  | 12,323  | 20.2%  |  |  |  |

| Independent | Allan Pond  | 4,993  | 8.2%  |  |  |  |

| Socialist Alliance | Michael Elliott  | 2,119  | 3.5%  |  |  |  |

| Conservative win

### 2003 by-election

[edit]

Main article: North Tyneside Council election, 2003 § Mayoral by-election

A mayoral by-election was held on 12 June 2003, which was won by Linda Arkley of the Conservative Party, after Chris Morgan resigned after he was arrested in relation to police investigations over allegations of possessing indecent images of children.[5] He was cleared of all charges the following year,[6] but was convicted of similar offences in 2019.[7]

Mayor of North Tyneside by-election 12 June 2003[8]

Party  | Candidate  | 1st round  | 2nd round  | 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round
Total  | Of round  | Transfers  | Total  | Of round
| Conservative | Linda Arkley | 18,478  | 43.1%  | 2,750  | 21,228  | 56.4%  |

| Labour | Gordon Adam | 13,070  | 30.5%  | 3,357  | 16,427  | 43.6%  |

| Liberal Democrats | Michael Huscroft  | 8,404  | 19.8%  |  |  |  |

| BNP | Robert Batten  | 2,554  | 6.0%  |  |  |  |

| Socialist Alliance | Louise van der Hoeven  | 400  | 0.9%  |  |  |  |

Majority | 4,801  |  |
| Conservative hold

### 2005

[edit]

Mayor of North Tyneside election 5 May 2005[9]

Party  | Candidate  | 1st round  | 2nd round  | 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round
Total  | Of round  | Transfers  | Total  | Of round
| Labour | John Harrison | 34,053  | 40%  | 6,407  | 40,460  | 50.6%  |

| Conservative | Linda Arkley | 35,467  | 42%  | 3,991  | 39,458  | 49.4%  |

| Liberal Democrats | Joan Harvey  | 12,761  | 15%  |  |  |  |

| National Front | Robert Batten  | 2,470  | 3%  |  |  |  |

Majority | 1,002  |  |
| Labour gain from Conservative

### 2009

[edit]

Mayor of North Tyneside election 4 June 2009[10]

Party  | Candidate  | 1st round  | 2nd round  | 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round
Total  | Of round  | Transfers  | Total  | Of round
| Conservative | Linda Arkley | 24,784  | 45%  | 2,299  | 27,083  | 54.5%  |

| Labour | John Harrison | 19,823  | 34%  | 2,811  | 22,634  | 45.5%  |

| Liberal Democrats | Nigel Huscroft  | 7,343  | 13%  |  |  |  |

| BNP | John Burrows  | 3,398  | 6%  |  |  |  |

| Green | Martin Collins  | 1,995  | 3%  |  |  |  |

| National Front | Robert Batten  | 1,086  | 2%  |  |  |  |

Majority | 4,449  |  |
| Conservative gain from Labour

### 2013

[edit]

North Tyneside Mayoral Election 2 May 2013[11]

Party  | Candidate  | 1st round  | 2nd round  | 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round
Total  | Of round  | Transfers  | Total  | Of round
| Labour | Norma Redfearn | 27,905  | 55.76%  |  |  |  |

| Conservative | Linda Arkley | 18,083  | 36.14%  |  |  |  |

| Liberal Democrats | John Appleby  | 4,054  | 8.10%  |  |  |  |

Majority | 9,822  |  |
| Labour gain from Conservative

### 2017

[edit]

North Tyneside Mayoral Election 04 May 2017[12]

Party  | Candidate  | 1st round  | 2nd round  | 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round
Total  | Of round  | Transfers  | Total  | Of round
| Labour | Norma Redfearn | 29,655  | 56.4%  |  |  |  |

| Conservative | Stewart Hay  | 16,164  | 30.7%  |  |  |  |

| Liberal Democrats | John Appleby  | 3,537  | 6.7%  |  |  |  |

| UKIP | Stuart Houghton  | 3,248  | 6.2%  |  |  |  |

Majority | 13,491  |  |
Turnout | 52,604  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  6.1  |

### 2021

[edit]

North Tyneside Mayoral Election 06 May 2021

Party  | Candidate  | 1st round  | 2nd round  | 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round
Total  | Of round  | Transfers  | Total  | Of round
| Labour | Norma Redfearn | 33,119  | 53.3%  |  |  |  |

| Conservative | Steven Robinson  | 19,366  | 31.2%  |  |  |  |

| Green | Penny Remfry  | 4,278  | 6.9%  |  |  |  |

| Liberal Democrats | John Appleby  | 3,549  | 5.7%  |  |  |  |

| UKIP | Jack Thomson  | 1,753  | 2.8%  |  |  |  |

Majority | 13,753  |  |
Turnout | 62,065  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |

### 2025

[edit]

Main article: 2025 North Tyneside mayoral election

First election held after the electoral system for mayoral elections in England were changed in 2023 from supplementary vote to first-past-the-post voting by the Elections Act 2022.[1][2]

North Tyneside Mayoral Election 01 May 2025[13][14][15][16]

List  | Candidates  | Votes  | Of total (%)  | ± from prev.
| Labour | Karen Clark | 16,230  | 30.2  | −23.2
| Reform UK | John Falkenstein  | 15,786  | 29.4  | New
| Conservative | Liam Bones  | 11,017  | 20.5  | −10.7
| Green | Chloe-Louise Reilly  | 3,980  | 7.4  | +0.5
| Liberal Democrats | John Appleby  | 3,453  | 6.4  | +0.7
| Independent | Cath Davis  | 1,780  | 3.3  | New
| Independent | Martin Uren  | 1,460  | 2.7  | New
Majority | 444  | 0.8  |
Rejected ballots  | 93  | 0.2  |
Turnout | 53,799  | 33.6  | −5.8
Registered electors | 159,717  |  |
| Labour hold

## Deputy mayor and cabinet

[edit]

The Mayor of North Tyneside appoints a deputy mayor and a cabinet, which they also chair.[17]

### Redfearn mayorality

[edit]

Norma Redfearn served as Mayor of North Tyneside from 2013 to 2025.[18] She appointed her cabinet a week after her election in May 2013, with Bruce Pickard chosen to serve as her deputy.[19] She reshuffled most of her cabinet after her re-election in 2017, though her deputy Pickard and some other cabinet members remained in their previous positions.[20] For her third term from 2021, she appointed a fully new cabinet with Carl Johnson now serving as her deputy mayor. She also introduced the non-cabinet position of Armed Forces Champion, which went to Andy Newman.[21]

Redfearn mayoral cabinet  Portfolio  | Member  | Term

|
|

First Redfearn Mayoral Cabinet
Mayor of North Tyneside  |  | Norma Redfearn | 2013–2025
Deputy Mayor  | Bruce Pickard | 2013–2021
Finance and Resources  | Ray Glindon | 2013–2021
Economic Development  | Frank Lott | 2013–2017
Adult Social Care  | Lesley Spillard  | 2013–2017
Leisure, Culture and Tourism  | Eddie Darke | 2013–2021
Housing and Environment  | John Harrison | 2013–2017
Sustainable Development  | John Stirling  | 2013–2017
Community Engagement  | Carole Gambling  | 2017–2025
Children, Young People and Learning  | Ian Grayson  | 2017–2025
Second Redfearn Mayoral Cabinet
Mayor of North Tyneside  |  | Norma Redfearn | 2013–2017
Deputy Mayor  | Bruce Pickard | 2013–2021
Finance and Resources  | Ray Glindon | 2013–2021
Adult Social Care  | G Bell  | 2017–2021
Leisure, Culture and Tourism  | Eddie Darke | 2013–2021
Public Health and Wellbeing  | M Hall  | 2017–2021
Housing and Transport  | John Harrison | 2017–2021
Environment  | John Stirling  | 2017–2021
Community Engagement  | C Burdis  | 2017–2021
Children, Young People and Learning  | Ian Grayson  | 2017–2021
Third Redfearn Mayoral Cabinet
Mayor of North Tyneside  |  | Norma Redfearn | 2013–2025
Deputy Mayor  | Carl Johnson  | 2021–present
Finance and Resources  | Martin Rankin  | 2021–2025
Adult Social Care  | Anthony McMullen  | 2021–2025
Culture, Sport and Leisure  | Sarah Day  | 2021–2025
Public Health and Wellbeing  | Karen Clark | 2021–2025
Housing  | Steve Cox  | 2021–2025
Environment  | Sandra Graham  | 2021–2025
Community Safety and Public Protection  | Carole Burdis  | 2021–2025
Children, Young People and Learning  | Peter Earley  | 2021–2025

### Clark mayoralty

[edit]

Karen Clark was elected Mayor of North Tyneside on 2 May 2025.[22] She appointed her cabinet within the same month.[23]

Mayoral cabinet of Karen Clark (2025–present)  Portfolio  | Member  | Term

|
|

Mayor of North Tyneside  |  | Karen Clark | 2025–present
Deputy Mayor  | Carl Johnson  | 2021–present
Finance and Resources  | Anthony McMullen  | 2025–present
Adult Social Care  | Janet Hunter  | 2025–present
Public Health and Socio-Economic Inequalities  | Joan Walker  | 2025–present
Housing  | John Harrison  | 2025–present
Environment  | Hannah Johnson  | 2025–present
Community Safety and the Climate Emergency  | Sandra Graham  | 2025–present
Supporting and Protecting Children  | Peter Earley  | 2025–present
Education, Inclusion, Employment and Skills  | Steven Phillips  | 2025–present

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "How the BBC is reporting local election results". BBC News. 1 May 2025. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
2. ^ a b Johnston, Neil (24 January 2025). "Voting systems in the UK". House of Commons Library. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
3. ^ "Local Elections in England: 2 May 2002" (PDF). House of Commons Library. 9 May 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2010. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
4. ^ "Local Elections in England: 2 May 2002" (PDF). House of Commons Library. 9 May 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
5. ^ "Arrested mayor resigns his post". BBC News. 18 April 2003. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
6. ^ "Ex-Mayor cleared of porn charges". BBC News. 6 September 2004. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
7. ^ Kennedy, Rob (17 October 2019). "Former Tory elected mayor from Whitley Bay shared paedophile images online". ChronicleLive. Reach. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
8. ^ "Local Elections in England: 2 May 2002". House of Commons Library. 9 May 2002. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
9. ^ "Local and Mayoral elections 2005" (PDF). House of Commons Library. 31 December 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
10. ^ "Local and Mayoral elections 2009" (PDF). House of Commons Library. 18 June 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
11. ^ "Labour takes North Tyneside elected mayoral post". BBC News. 3 May 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
12. ^ "Election 2017: North Tyneside mayoral election result". BBC News. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
13. ^ "Labour squeezes past Reform in North Tyneside". BBC News. 2 May 2025. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
14. ^ "North Tyneside Mayoral Election Result". Election Maps UK. 2 May 2025. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
15. ^ "North Tyneside Mayor election results". BBC News. 2 May 2025. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
16. ^ "Mayoral election results". North Tyneside Council. 2 May 2025. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
17. ^ "About the Elected Mayor". North Tyneside Council. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
18. ^ Shakespeare, Austen (13 May 2024). "North Tyneside mayor to step down". BBC News. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
19. ^ "North Tyneside's new mayor names cabinet". Chronicle Live. 9 May 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
20. ^ "Cabinet". North Tyneside Council. Archived from the original on 22 October 2017.
21. ^ "Elected Mayor appoints new Cabinet". North Tyneside Council. 11 May 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
22. ^ "Labour squeezes past Reform in North Tyneside". BBC News. 2 May 2025. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
23. ^ "Cabinet". North Tyneside Council. Retrieved 28 May 2025.

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