Voters in North Tyneside have decided to retain the current system of having an Elected Mayor and Cabinet.
In a referendum held yesterday (May 5), electors were asked to decide how North Tyneside Council is governed in the future.
The referendum asked the following question:
How would you like North Tyneside Council to be run?
- a) By a Mayor who is elected by voters. This is how the Council is run now.
OR
- b) By one or more committees made up of elected councillors. This would be a change from how the Council is run now.
A total of 57.5 percent voted to in favour of keeping the current system of having an Elected Mayor and Cabinet.
The turnout in the mayoral referendum was 56,605 (36.6 percent).
Following this result, North Tyneside Council will continue with the Elected Mayor and Cabinet Model of governance and a further Mayoral election will take place on 4 May, 2017.
North Tyneside Council adopted the Mayor and Cabinet model form of governance in May 2002 following a referendum held on 18 November 2001.
The current Elected Mayor is Norma Redfearn (Labour) who was elected for a four year term in May 2013.
Mayor Redfearn said: “I am delighted with this result; it is a judgment on the last three years when we have achieved so much – regeneration in Whitley Bay and Wallsend, 14,000 more jobs and apprenticeships as well as the building of council homes.
“Before I was elected, I promised residents I would hold a referendum to let them decide on how their council would be run in the future. I am pleased to say that this result is the people’s decision, this is real democracy.”
Local ward councillor and police and crime commissioner elections were also held in North Tyneside yesterday and will be counted and announced later today (Friday 6 May).
Full results will be available on the council’s website www.northtyneside.gov.uk