Six candidates have been in the race to become the first North East Mayor:

Paul Donaghy, 42, from Washington, is standing for Reform UK. The hotel manager's priority would be to create and support youth and community projects.

Jamie Driscoll, 52, is standing as an independent candidate. He is the current North of Tyne mayor and would prioritise creating an improved transport network.

Andrew Gray, 56, is the Green party candidate. He is an archivist at Durham University, who wants to prioritise insulating cold homes.

Aidan King, 44, is representing the Liberal Democrats. He is a doctor at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary and his priority would be to build Europe's largest onshore windfarm.

Current Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness, 38, is the Labour candidate. Her top priority would be to tackle child poverty.

Guy Renner-Thompson, 32, is representing the Conservatives. The construction manager's priority would be the creation of jobs.

The North East Mayor count is under way in Sunderland. The winner will be announced this lunchtime.

Six candidates are standing for the role.

PA Media

A Labour source has conceded the mayoral vote in Tees Valley to Conservative incumbent Ben Houchen.

The source said Lord Houchen had won with a significantly reduced majority compared with 2021, and that he had distanced himself from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, running his campaign as a "pseudo-independent."

In Redcar, Lord Houchen polled 15,987 votes against 12,015 for Labour candidate Chris McEwan and 1,639 for Liberal Democrat Simon Thorley.

The sitting mayor polled 10,074 in Hartlepool compared with 8,732 for Mr McEwan and 972 for Mr Thorley.

In Middlesbrough, the Tory polled 13,285 over Mr McEwan, who had 12,749 and 1,390 for Mr Thorley.

Richard Moss
Political editor, North East & Cumbria

More good news for Ben Houchen - he’s come out on top in a second council area.

In Redcar & Cleveland he got 15,987 votes. Chris McEwan for Labour got 12,015, Lib Dem Simon Thorley 1639.

Three more councils left to declare but a clear picture building.

Richard Moss
Political editor, North East & Cumbria

Ben Houchen comes out top in Hartlepool as it is the first Tees Valley Council to declare.

The Conservative candidate got 10,074 votes, Chris McEwan (Labour) received 8,732, and Simon Thorley (Liberal Democrats) got 972.

Encouraging result for the mayor in an area where Conservatives lost six council seats last night and Labour gained eight.

Four more councils are yet to declare before we have the full result.

It is one of the most anticipated election results today.

Three candidates are running for the role:

Conservative candidate Ben Houchen, 37, is the incumbent mayor and is hoping to be elected for a third time since the role was created in 2017. His priority to build a new hospital in the region and grow Teesside International Airport.

Chris McEwan, 58, is standing for Labour. His priority would be to be a mayor people could "trust" and who would boost the region.

Simon Thorley, 38, is the Liberal Democrat candidate. His priority would be to tackle the "scandalously high" levels of child poverty in the region.

Richard Moss
Political editor, North East & Cumbria

Ben Houchen awaits his fate at the Tees Valley mayoral count.

We may have the result of voters in Hartlepool pretty soon. The overall result will follow after.

Counting is progressing quickly and the result might come before the original 12.30 BST estimate.

Thursday's election saw Labour take full control of Hartlepool Borough Council after last leading the council in 2019.

Jill Mortimer, the town's Conservative MP, said it had been "a very disappointing night".

"It's very sad that Hartlepool's going to lose some very good councillors," she told the BBC.

"I think it's the swings and roundabouts of politics, isn't it. Sometimes it's our night, sometimes it's somebody else's night.

"No one comes into this game expecting to win all the time."

Labour made gains in seven wards, six of which were previously held by Conservative councillors.

Richard Moss
Political editor, North East & Cumbria

Conservative Tees Valley Mayor Lord Houchen has arrived at the count in Thornaby.

There was no love lost between him and Liberal Democrat candidate Simon Thorley during the campaign and the BBC Tees debate, but all now seems friendly as they share a conversation together awaiting the result.

The result is expected about lunchtime.

Richard Moss
Political editor, North East & Cumbria

For the Conservatives it was a grim night.

Wiped out in South Tyneside on top of losses in Sunderland and Hartlepool. Their vote was also squeezed by the rise of Reform UK.

The one crumb of comfort - a return to Newcastle City Council after an absence of almost three decades. Testament more to the determined campaigning of the winning candidate - former GP Doc Anand - though than to any urban Tory resurgence.

Attention now shifts to mayoral and police and crime commissioner elections. Those mayorals look particularly crucial.

Can Ben Houchen overcome Conservative local collapse to win a third term in Tees Valley?

Can Labour’s Kim McGuinness see off the challenge of former colleague and now independent Jamie Driscoll to become the first North East mayor?

We should know shortly after lunchtime.

Richard Moss
Political editor, North East & Cumbria

Labour largely achieved its aims in the region overnight.

They are not only back in control of Hartlepool Council, they now dominate it once more as the Conservatives fell away.

Gains in Sunderland reinforced its strong grip on the city.

But local issues do matter. The party haemorrhaged support and councillors in South Tyneside as residents punished an administration that has struggled to end a strike by refuse workers that has led to a key service for householders being - well - rubbish. The party now has to reflect on repeated losses that now leave control of a council they once counted on hanging by a thread.

Green gains in Newcastle (for the first time) as well as South Tyneside might also raise alarm bells.

The North East and Tees Valley Mayor results are yet to be declared - we should know these from about midday.

The police and crime commissioner results for Durham, Cleveland and Northumbria are expected after 16:30 BST on Friday.

Results for most council elections and the Cumbria police, fire and crime commissioner have come in overnight.

North Tyneside is the exception - the outcome of that election will be revealed on Saturday.

If you are just joining us, here is a round up of what happened overnight:

• Labour gained control of Hartlepool council, from no overall control
• Labour kept control of Newcastle, Gateshead and South Tyneside councils but it only held its majority in South Tyneside by one seat
• Labour held control of Sunderland City Council and the Conservatives lost their role as the official opposition
• Labour won the police and crime commissioner election in Cumbria, taking the post from the Conservatives on a 22% swing

Maddie Paige
BBC Newcastle

A fight in South Tyneside that was expected to be between the Greens and Labour was actually won by independents.

Despite keeping control of the council massive, Labour only maintained its majority by one seat - strong feelings around local issues like bin strikes seemed to sway the vote.

The Conservatives lost their final seat to the Greens, who gained two seats. Independent candidates gained nine seats.

Recognised Labour figures, such as council leader Tracey Dixon, kept their seats.

Ms Dixon said reason for losses was “a perfect storm” and Labour losses locally weren't representative of what was going to happen at the Generals.

Independent spokesperson Glenn Thompson said independents were not expecting to be as successful as they were tonight but knew that people wanted change and tonight showed that.

Josh Steer
BBC News, North East & Cumbria

A Conservative has become the party’s first councillor on Newcastle City Council in more than 30 years.

Retired GP Doc Anand, 77, won the Gosforth seat from the Liberal Democrats by 111 votes.

The Labour-controlled council had mixed results with the Greens also gaining their first two council seats.

Speaking after his win, Dr Anand said he had “achieved the impossible” defying the wider context of a tough night for the Tories.

The campaign by the Tories distanced themselves from the national party by focussing on local issues.

The result came as a surprise twist towards the end of the night, after the Greens had also won their first ever seats of the council.

Elswick’s Khaled Musharraf became the city’s first Green councillor, quickly followed by Nick Hartley for Byker.

David MacMillan
BBC Tees

It’s been some turnaround for the Labour Party here in Hartlepool.

Three years ago Labour hit their lowest ebb as they were roundly thrashed by the Conservatives in the Parliamentary by-election here. Losing by a majority of 7,000 and handing the Conservatives a seat for the first time since its creation.

But last year Labour were back on track missing out on a majority at Hartlepool Council by just a handful of votes and this year they have very much got that majority and by a comfortable margin.

That by-election defeat in 2021 is said to have really upset the Labour Party leadership. So much so that Keir Starmer apparently considered resigning in its aftermath.

Labour were somewhat taunted too if you remember by a giant, inflatable Boris Johnson that was paraded through the town.

And so they’ll be absolutely delighted that just three years later they’ve won back control at Hartlepool Borough Council.

Labour won nine of the twelve seats being contested with independents claiming two and the Conservatives winning one.

Labour’s victory also means Hartlepool has its first female council leader – former teacher Brenda Harrison.

Jim Scott
BBC news, Sunderland

Sunderland was the first result in the country to be declared, shortly after 00:15 BST on Friday.

Historically Labour has dominated Sunderland since the first election under the new authority in 1973, so it was no surprise that it managed to hold the council, once more.

But it meant sore wounds for the Conservatives who lost three out of six of their seats being contested.

Meanwhile the Liberal Democrats, who had up until last year been the official party of opposition on the council, managed to win back that title from the Conservatives by holding onto four seats, and losing just one.

Bubbling in the background though were Reform, who decided to stand in all 25 seats. They did lose one seat but ended up being the runner’s-up in 10 seats, managing to beat the Lib Dems and Conservatives.

Image source, SUNDERLAND CITY COUNCIL

Counting for a number of council elections took place overnight. Here is a brief round-up of what has happened so far:

• Labour held Sunderland
• Labour held Newcastle
• Labour held South Tyneside
• Labour gained Hartlepool from no overall control
• Labour held Gateshead

And we have the result of one police and crime commissioner election:

• Labour won the Cumbria police and crime commissioner post from the Conservatives

Image source, PA Media

Good morning and welcome to our coverage of the results of the 2024 local elections in the North East & Cumbria.

Voters went to the polls on Thursday to elect councillors for six North East authorities as well as all four of the region’s police and crime commissioners.

Voting also took place for the Tees Valley Mayor and the North East Mayor with the results of those two contests expected about lunchtime.

We will be bringing you the results of the counts which were held overnight first and then updates through the day.