South Tyneside Council elections 2026: Here's what will happen next

South Tyneside Council is preparing to welcome a new Reform UK administration after historic election results last week.

Due to ward boundaries changing since the last election in 2024, all 54 seats were up for grabs at South Tyneside Council for the 2026 local elections.

In results reflected across parts of the North East, South Tyneside Labour lost dozens of councillors and majority control of the council, which the Labour Party had controlled for decades.

South Tyneside Labour went from 27 council seats to just one seat, with Reform UK taking 41 council seats in a historic shift in power.

The council's Green Group is now the official opposition with 10 councillors and out of the 39 independent candidates who stood in the election only two were elected, with both being existing independent councillors.

An annual meeting of South Tyneside Council is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, where formal appointments will be made to mark the official start of a new council year.

This includes appointments of the ruling Reform UK Group's leader, deputy leader, cabinet members, committee chairs and vice-chairs, and other roles.

The key meeting will also see the appointment of the Mayor of South Tyneside and Deputy Mayor for 2026/27, along with a decision on the council's diary of meetings and a report on the annual review of the constitution.

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The council is currently supporting new councillors with their induction and helping the local authority's political groups to get organised ahead of the annual meeting next week.

Sunderland City Council's new ruling Reform UK Group have already announced their leader and deputy leader positions following a party meeting, which will be ratified at an annual city council meeting next week.

At the time of writing, South Tyneside's Reform UK Group had not made a similar announcement.

Formal nominations for council leader and the Mayor of South Tyneside must be agreed at South Tyneside Council's annual meeting next week.

The meeting is scheduled to take place on May 19, 2026, at South Shields Town Hall from 6pm and will be open to the public.

It is also expected to be broadcast live via the council's YouTube channel.

For more information, visit South Tyneside Council's website at www.southtyneside.gov.uk.