Local government elections
Councils are responsible for providing local services and facilities.
Your elected representatives, or councillors, represent you at a local level. Local government elections give people the opportunity to elect councillors.
South Tyneside has 54 elected councillors, which represent 18 wards across the Borough.
Local government elections take place over a four year cycle. Each councillor is elected for four years, this means that a third of councillors are elected every year with no elections in the fourth year.
The next local government elections will take place on Thursday, 7 May 2026.
The last local government elections took place on 2 May 2024.
To vote in a local government election a person must be registered to vote and also be:
- 18 years or over on polling day
- be resident in the UK
- not be subject to any legal incapacity to vote
- a British citizen or, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen
- a citizen of Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Spain who is resident in the UK, has permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man, or who does not need permission
- a citizen of any other EU country who on or before 31 December 2020 was legally resident in the UK, had permission to enter or stay in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man, or who did not need permission, and this has continued without a break
More about Councillors and committee meetings.
If a councillor vacancy becomes available outside of the normal election timetable we may hold a by-election if requested, or it may be left vacant and filled at the next scheduled elections.