Labour holds Tyneside councils and Northumbria PCC

Labour held on to a majority in South Tyneside

Labour held their council majorities in Newcastle, Gateshead and South Tyneside in the local elections and recorded a big majority in the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) vote.

But in South Tyneside, the party's majority was heavily cut as it lost 10 seats across the borough.

Susan Dungworth was elected PCC with a majority of almost 100,000 over her nearest rival – Conservative Ros Munro.

Ms Dungworth said her priority from day one would be "to find ways to get more police officers on the streets".

She said: "Everything you talk about, anti-social behaviour, violence against women and girls, drugs crime, knife crime, it's all around having enough police officers to do their job.

"That's my priority, finding out how we can fund that visible police force."

Labour's Susan Dungworth secured a majority of over 100,000 in the election for Northumbria's Police and Crime Commissioner

Ms Dungworth also said she heard a lot while canvassing about the impact of anti-social behaviour.

"It's the graffiti, it's the motorbikes, it's the litter, it's the shoplifting and my driving mission is going to be about tackling those things so people feel safe to go about their daily lives."

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In the council elections, Newcastle, Labour won 45 seats and the Liberal Democrats 23. The Greens gained their first two seats on the local authority while the Conservatives' solitary seat was their first win in the city since 1992.

Labour lost just one seat in Gateshead and has a majority with 48 seats, with the Liberal Democrats winning 18.

Labour won 28 seats in South Tyneside, where the Independents picked up nine seats to take them to 15 and the Green Party gained two seats to bring its total 11.

Labour council leader Tracey Dixon said she was “extremely disappointed” to lose the number of seats they did.

She said the positive things Labour had done for the borough such as extra care facilities had been "clouded" by issues such as the bin workers' strike.

But newly elected Independent councillor Phil Brown, who won the Horsley Hill seat from Labour, said this wasn’t "just about bins".

He said: "I really do hope that all parties come together and start to do for the betterment of people in South Tyneside."

'Pounding the pavements'

Retired doctor and newly elected Gosforth councillor Doc Anand is the first Conservative in Newcastle City Council since Sandra Gilfillan and Nina Hannaford’s terms in Jesmond and Kenton respectively came to an end in 1996, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"It feels like history," the former GP said, adding: "It is about hard work and pounding the pavements in Gosforth."

Khaled Musharraf in Elswick became the first ever Green councillor in Newcastle. He said it was "about time" the city had a green voice.

Nick Hartley, his Green counterpart in Byker who won his seat shortly after Mr Musharraf, said the double win could be the "start of something special".

In Gateshead, the Birtley ward was by far the tightest - with the Liberal Democrats winning the seat by just five votes over Labour.

Labour council leader Martin Gannon said: "Overall it was successful, although obviously it was disappointing that we were not able to win the seat in Birtley."