The candidate list for the upcoming Newcastle City Council by-election has been confirmed, with voters heading to the polls on August 27. The by-election in the Throckley, Walbottle and Newburn ward was triggered after Reform councillor Amy Hunter stepped down just two months after being elected. Reform UK cited that her health, personal and work commitments had "changed abruptly," leaving her unable to give the role "the time and energy it demands." The party had won all three seats in the outer west ward in May.
Candidate nominations closed
Nominations closed on Friday, July 31 at 4pm. The confirmed candidates are:
- Kimberley Barrass - Green Party
- Martin Evison - Reform UK
- Alexis Fernandes - Conservative Party
- Stephen Kelly - Liberal Democrats
- Linda Wright - Labour
Labour, Green and Conservative candidates all stood in May's elections. Labour, which had held power in the city for 15 years, was reduced to just two councillors in May following a bruising night. However, Labour came second in the seat, with Linda Wright trailing Reform by around 400 votes. With Andy Burnham now Prime Minister, the party may see this by-election as a chance to begin a recovery.
Political balance at stake
The council is currently run by a Lib Dem minority administration holding 25 of the 78 seats, with Reform and the Greens level on 23 following Ms Hunter's resignation. This knife-edge balance makes the seat hotly contested, with potentially significant implications for the council's future direction. Residents who have not yet registered to vote must do so by midnight on August 11.
In May, Reform won all three seats in the ward, with Labour candidates following. The Greens came third, then the Tories, with the Liberal Democrats at the bottom.
