'You decide' - We explain just who's who in the Harton by-election battle
Voters in South Tyneside's Harton ward are going to the polls after the resignation of councillor Alex Clarke, with seven candidates vying for the seat.
Voters are set to go to the polls on Thursday in a by-election triggered by the resignation of a South Tyneside councillor.
The contest in Harton ward follows the resignation of councillor Alex Clarke, who was elected in the landmark ‘all-out’ South Tyneside Council elections in May, which saw Reform UK sweep to power winning 41 seats.
However, the Reform UK councillor resigned from the post weeks after the election victory following reports of offensive comments made on a podcast, which Clarke described as a comedy‑based show.
A by-election is now set to be held on Thursday, August 6, and seven candidates have put their names forward.
The by-election is the first electoral test of Reform UK in South Tyneside since the May local elections and the ruling party faces several challengers, including several former South Tyneside councillors.
It also follows a recent by-election at Gateshead Council triggered by the resignation of a Reform UK councillor. Although the party has majority control of the local authority following victory in the May local elections, Reform only won the Gateshead contest in High Fell by a narrow margin, a majority of just five votes over Labour.
Reform UK’s candidate for the Harton by-election, Katie Groom, was previously a Reform candidate for the Fellgate and Hedworth ward in the May local elections, where the three seats up for grabs were taken by two other Reform candidates and one Labour candidate.
A win in the Harton by-election would keep a trio of Reform UK councillors representing the Harton ward in South Shields.
Katie Groom, via her Facebook campaign page, outlined various pledges including how she would use her “lived experience of supporting children and adults with additional needs” to advocate for families.
Karen Myers, who was elected as an independent councillor for Harton in 2024, came fourth out of 12 candidates in Harton in the May 2026 local elections and is hoping to regain her seat this week.
The former councillor, who was previously part of the council’s alliance group of independents, still posts local updates via a Facebook page and if elected, could increase the number of independents on the local authority from two to three.
Neil Maxwell, a veteran Labour councillor who also lost his Harton seat in May, coming behind Reform, independents and the Green Party, is contesting the by-election.
The former councillor is hoping to build back Labour’s support locally, taking the party from one councillor to two in the council chamber, and the Labour and Co-operative Party candidate has been campaigning via social media.
Another former councillor standing in the Harton by-election, Phil Brown, previously represented the Horsley Hill ward as an independent before losing his seat in the May 2026 elections.
Mr Brown, who has a background in health services, and is also campaigning via social media, remained independent without any affiliation to South Tyneside Council’s independent groups during his council term.
South Tyneside’s Green Party, the official opposition to Reform UK in the council chamber, has never historically controlled a seat in Harton but came ahead of Labour in the ward in the May elections.
Green candidate Kathryn Kaupa, described as a “local community champion” by the party in a social media announcement earlier this year, previously stood in the Harton ward in the all-out May elections, coming ahead of Labour.
A win for the Greens this week would boost the party’s councillor numbers from 10 to 11.
There are currently no Conservative or Liberal Democrat representatives on South Tyneside Council, but both parties are fielding candidates this week.
Conservatives did not previously contest the Harton ward in the May local elections and Sam Hill was announced as the Harton candidate by the Tyneside Conservatives earlier this year, describing him as a “lifelong South Tyneside resident who works locally as a carer.”
The Liberal Democrats, who only put forward two candidates in the all-out South Tyneside elections in May, excluding Harton ward, have put forward a candidate for this week’s by-election.
Mark Robson, who did not stand in the May 2026 local elections, said the Lib Dems were focused on “localism and community action.”
The last time voters went to the polls in Harton, the overall turnout was around 43.6 per cent.
With more than 6,200 eligible voters, all eyes will be on Harton this week to see how the electorate responds and whether local issues impact vote share in the ward.
Although the final result will not impact Reform UK’s majority control of South Tyneside Council, it could indicate whether local support is continuing, or waning, for the new administration.
Voters in the Harton ward will go to the polls between 7am and 10pm on August 6 and the result will be announced once the votes have been verified and counted.