Reform win resignation by-election by five votes
LDRSReform UK has won a council by-election by five votes following the resignation of one of its members less than two weeks after being elected.
Danielle Cavanagh stood down from her seat in the High Fell ward of Gateshead Council, shortly after being voted in at the local elections on 7 May.
Reform's Lindsay Atkinson won the resulting by-election with 564 votes to Labour's Kathryn Walker's 559 following a recount.
Reform took control of the council in May after Labour had been in power for 52 years.
Atkinson said: "This is an area Labour has dominated for decades and this shows people want to see some change."
Gateshead Labour co-leader John Adams said Reform previously won the seat with a far higher margin, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
"We know we lost the local election, we have got a lot of work to do, and we are determined to do that," he said.
Gateshead Council's political composition stands at Reform with 38 councillors, the Lib Dems with 13, Labour with 12, and the Greens with three.
Cavanagh stood down to focus on expanding her business, with Atkinson saying she "did the right thing" as she was "mindful she could not support the residents any more".
Gateshead Council's Reform UK majority previously stated it would fund the cost of the by-election by having one of its cabinet members forgo their special responsibility allowance.
