The 2023 Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections in England. All 59 seats were up for election. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's elections are held every four years.
Summary
Prior to the election the council was under no overall control, being run by a coalition of the Liberal Democrats and the "Independent Group", comprising 13 of the independents. The leader of the council was independent councillor Mary Lanigan.[3]
The council remained under no overall control after the election. Labour was the largest party, and both it and the Conservatives made gains, largely at the expense of the independents and Liberal Democrats. Mary Lanigan lost her seat.[4][5]
A minority Labour administration formed after the election, with Labour group leader Alec Brown being appointed leader of the council at the subsequent annual council meeting on 25 May 2023.[6][7]
After 2019 election
Before 2023 election
After 2023 election
Party
Seats
Party
Seats
Change
Party
Seats
Change
Liberal Democrats
13
Liberal Democrats
14
1
Liberal Democrats
11
3
Independent Group
14
Independent Group
13
1
Independent Group
9
4
Labour
15
Labour
15
Labour
23
8
Conservative
11
Conservative
6
5
Conservative
12
6
UKIP
2
UKIP
0
2
UKIP
No Candidates
Teesville Independents
3
Teesville Independents
0
3
Teesville Independents
No candidates
Cleveland Independent Group (formerly East Cleveland Independent Group)
Vera Rider, elected as an independent in May 2023 (having previously been elected as a Conservative in 2019 but left the party in 2021), re-joined the Conservatives in November 2023.[10]
Tristan Learoyd resigned from the Liberal Democrats in July 2024,[11] following his suspension by the local party. Learoyd previously represented both Labour (2011) and Green (2014), as well as being part of the Independent Group during the 2011-2015 council, and became independent for the third time.
Following his election as Member of Parliament (MP) for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland in 2024, Luke Myer vacated his councillor seat in the Longbeck ward.[12] A subsequent election on September 5 saw the Conservative Party candidate Stephen Crane win the seat.[13]
References
^"Eston Independent Party". The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
^"Redcar and Cleveland Labour group elect new leader and set out policies". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
^ ab"Your councillors". Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council. Archived from the original on 4 May 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
^"Censured Redcar and Cleveland council leader loses seat". BBC News. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
^ abArnold, Stuart (5 May 2023). "Labour now largest party on Redcar and Cleveland Council as authority's former leader ousted". Teesside Live. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
^"Council minutes, 25 May 2023". Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
^Arnold, Stuart (27 May 2023). "New local authority leader wants rival councillors to work together to 'bridge differences'". Teesside Live. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
^"Declaration of result of poll" (PDF). Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
^"Labour wins last council seat to be counted". BBC News. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
^Arnold, Stuart (18 November 2023). "Vera's return as independent councillor rejoins Conservative group two years after quitting". Teesside Live. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
^Arnold, Stuart (3 August 2024). "Row continues as Lib Dem councillor quits local group after previous suspension". Teesside Live. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
^Arnold, Stuart (31 July 2024). "Local by-election looms after newly elected MP quits as borough councillor". Teesside Live. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
^Arnold, Stuart (6 September 2024). "Tory success as candidate tops poll in Longbeck ward beating Labour into second". Teesside Live. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
Notes
^Of the 24 independents on the council prior to the election, thirteen formed "The Independent Group" led by Mary Lanigan, two formed the "Cleveland Independent Group", and the other nine did not belong to a group.
^Counting the Teesville Independents as independents; they were a registered party at the 2019 election but deregistered with the Electoral Commission the following month.[1]