Reform take council seat from Labour

Reform UK's Brian Smith (centre) won the Killingworth North Tyneside Council seat

Reform UK has achieved its first electoral victory in North Tyneside, winning a vacant council seat in a by-election.

Reform's Brian Smith was elected as a councillor for the ward of Killingworth in one of two by-elections held at North Tyneside Council's Cobalt HQ.

Labour held on to the ward of Longbenton and Benton with their candidate Bryan Macdonald.

The Longbenton and Benton seat was made vacant following incumbent Labour North Tyneside Mayor Karen Clark's narrow victory in May against Reform, securing the role by 444 votes.

Despite the win, Clark said Reform was not a "serious threat" politically in the area.

"Reform has gained a seat and obviously we would have preferred to hold that seat," Clark told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"It is always difficult when your party is in power. If Reform was a serious threat I would expect them to take both these seats."

Labour's Bryan Macdonald held onto the Longbenton and Benton council seat

Smith said: "This is the beginning for Reform in North Tyneside.

"Just on the door steps, talking to people, Reform have been very positively received and people are wanting change."

He also said that his first priority as Killingworth's councillor was to get his "head around everything".

"I'm not a political-type person," Smith added.

"I was working in a JD Gym as a cleaner before this.

"It's about seeing how things operate - work out our priorities and who we can work with."

The turnout for Killingworth was 30.3% compared to 24.7% for Longbenton and Benton.