Reform UK candidate Lindsay Atkinson won the High Fell ward by-election on July 9, 2026, securing 37.2% of the vote and retaining the seat for the party. The by-election was triggered after the sitting Reform councillor Danielle Cavanagh stood down following her election in May.
Full Results
The six candidates received the following votes:
- Lindsay Atkinson (Reform UK) – 1,204 votes (37.2%)
- Kathryn Dorothea Walker (Labour) – 909 votes (28.1%)
- Lee Turner (Green Party) – 482 votes (14.9%)
- Jonathan Aibi (Liberal Democrat) – 378 votes (11.7%)
- Barry Malcolm Flux (Conservative) – 186 votes (5.7%)
- Elaine Brunskill (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) – 78 votes (2.4%)
Turnout was 32.1%, with 3,237 valid votes cast out of 10,080 registered voters.
Context of the By-Election
The by-election was called after Reform UK’s Danielle Cavanagh, who won the High Fell seat in the May 7 local elections, stepped down. In those elections, Reform UK secured overall control of Gateshead Council for the first time, winning 38 of the 66 seats. Labour, which had governed the council since 1973, lost control, winning only 12 seats. The Liberal Democrats won 13 seats and the Green Party won 3 seats, their first ever on the council.
According to a council spokesperson, the by-election was held in accordance with electoral regulations, and the result was declared at 10:15 PM on July 9.
