South Tyneside set for a new political map as changes look to be made to council wards

Council ward boundaries in South Tyneside look set to change following a review carried out by the Local Government Boundary Commission, the independent body that draws these boundaries.

A review was carried out into South Tyneside’s ward boundaries to make sure that councillors will represent around the same number of electors and that ward arrangements help to make the council work effectively.

The Commission has published its final recommendations for South Tyneside and has stated that residents should be represented by 54 councillors - the same as the current arrangements.

There will be 18 three-member wards, also the same as what is currently in place, but 13 of them will have different boundaries.

Professor Colin Mellors, chair of the Commission, said: “We are very grateful to people in South Tyneside. We looked at all the views they gave us.

“They helped us improve our earlier proposals.

“We believe the new arrangements will deliver electoral fairness while maintaining local ties.”

The Commission has confirmed that 401 people and organisations made comments to help decide the new wards.

The changes in response to the feedback include:

• A small amendment to the boundaries between the Westoe and West Park wards.
• Several ward name changes to better reflect local areas - for example, Horsley Hill will become Horsley Hill and Westoe Crown, Cleadon and East Boldon will become Cleadon Village and East Boldon, and Cleadon Park will be renamed to Cleadon Park and Harton Moor.

The changes will become law once they have been approved by Parliament.

Once approved, South Tyneside Council staff will then ensure that the arrangements are in place for the 2026 local elections, which are typically held on the first Thursday in May.

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Councillor Jane Carter, Deputy Leader with responsibility for Governance, Finance and Corporate Services, has thanked residents for their feedback which helped to shape the Commission’s report.

Cllr Carter commented: “The boundary review for South Tyneside Council has now come to an end and these new boundaries and electoral arrangements will come into effect for the local elections in 2026.

“It was a really important process carried out by the Local Government Boundary Commission which gathered local views to help ensure the new wards better reflect local communities as well as deliver electoral fairness.

“We thank all those who took the opportunity to get involved in the consultation exercises.”

Full details of the Local Government Boundary Commission’s review into South Tyneside can be found at: https://www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/south-tyneside.