General election 2024: Five key things you need to know in South Tyneside

With just over three hours to go until polls close at the time of writing, the country is getting ever closer to finding out who will be the leader for possibly the next five years.

Here in South Tyneside, residents are deciding on who will represent them as Members of Parliament for both the South Shields and Jarrow and Gateshead East constituencies.

The Shields Gazette news team will be at the count in South Shields this evening - you can keep up to date with everything by clicking here.

Ahead of polls closing, we’ve put together a handy guide to let you know of key timings once the polls shut.

What time do the polls close?

Having been open since 7am today (Thursday, July 4), every polling station across the borough will shut at 10pm.

If you are in a queue to access a polling station when 10pm hits, you will still be permitted to cast your vote.

Anyone trying to join a queue at a polling station after the 10pm deadline will be turned away.

You must remember to take ID with you when you go to vote. If you don’t, then you will not be permitted to have your say in the election.

Read more: Meet the candidates standing in the Jarrow and Gateshead East constituency in the 2024 general election

When happens when the polls shut?

As soon as the polls close at 10pm, the ballot boxes will start to be transported to Temple Park Leisure Centre, in South Shields, where they will be sorted for counting.

The polls closing means that we will also be updated with an exit poll - the final poll which predicts who will win the general election.

Back in 2019, the exit poll correctly forecast a majority of Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party.

Exit polls aren’t gospel but they usually do give a good indication of how the election will go.

Read more: General Election 2024: Live updates from across South Tyneside on polling day

What time can we expect results?

We will typically start to see the first results declared at around 11.30pm - with Sunderland and Newcastle usually being the first places in the UK to declare.

Here in South Tyneside, it is understood that we are expected to see results for the two constituencies announced between 2am and 3am.

It is worth pointing out that Jarrow and Gateshead East is a newly formed constituency so results could be delayed given that some constituency boundaries have changed.

Nationally, it also tends to be around 2/3am when the majority of seats start to declare winners, meaning that we should get a clearer picture of who will be leading the country for the next five years.

Stay up to date with the Shields Gazette’s latest headlines and get a newsletter delivered to your inbox

What are the key issues of the election?

The big national issues highlighted throughout the 2024 general election campaign have focused around the economy, the cost of living crisis, the NHS, housing, a lack of faith in elected officials and immigration into the UK.

All parties have set out to voters how they will tackle these issues through campaigning since the general election was announced at the end of May.

Here in South Tyneside, most/all of the national issues will apply to and concern local people.

However, as we found in May’s South Tyneside Council elections, local issues such as the impact of bin strikes etc. may very well play a key role in voter’s minds as they head to the polls.

Read more: Meet the candidates standing in the South Shields constituency in the 2024 general election

Will there be any surprises?

If the polls right throughout the election campaign are to be believed, then the Labour Party, led by Sir Keir Starmer, is on course for a Tony Blair-style landslide victory.

The South Shields and Jarrow and Gateshead East constituencies are very much part of the ‘Red Wall’ Labour stronghold so it will be a surprise if the seats go to any other political party.

One party that will be looking to make a political shock both nationally and locally this evening is Reform UK - with the party being one of the most talked about throughout the election campaign.

Eyes will be peeled to see if Reform can do what it said it will do and become the official opposition party in the UK as it looks to chip away at both the Labour and Conservative vote.

As well as Reform, it might well be worth keeping an eye on the Green Party here in South Tyneside.

The Greens have found success in recent local elections so it will be interesting to see if that can translate to a national level.