Helen Richardson
Reporting from North Shields

Official figures show turnout in North Tyneside was lower than previous mayoral contests at 31%.

A total of 48,827 verified votes have been cast to elect a new mayor. Counting is now under way.

Luke Walton
Reporting from Blyth

At Blyth Leisure Centre, hundreds of election staff and party activists are buckling down for a long night of counting - with the final results not expected until 07:30 BST.

Northumberland County Council is the second largest in England by area and some of its ballot boxes face a long journey to get here.

In many wards, it's likely to be a three-way battle between the Conservatives, Labour and Reform UK - so recounts could also be on the cards. In 2021, there were dead-heats in two wards leading to the drawing of straws to find a winner.

The council has been led by the Tories since 2017 but Labour made a clean sweep of Northumberland parliamentary seats in last year's general election and is hoping to win back the local authority too.

However, the strength of Reform UK has been the big talking point here - and could complicate matters.

Locally, the party is seen as a big threat to both the Conservatives and Labour, having come second to Labour in two local seats in last year's general election.

The Independents and Liberal Democrats also have pockets of strength and the Green Party won its first seats here in 2021. Expect more knife-edge results as the night unfolds.

Helen Richardson
Reporting from North Shields

Here on North Tyneside we're eagerly awaiting the results of the mayoral election.

The count is expected to finish around 01:30 BST.

In an evolution of election tradition, we've been joined by this wonderful dog at the count.

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