Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Coat of arms | |
| Motto(s): In Unity, Progress | |
 Gateshead shown withinTyne and Wear | |
| Coordinates:54°57′N1°36′W / 54.950°N 1.600°W /54.950; -1.600 | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | England |
| Region | North East |
| Ceremonial county | Tyne and Wear |
| City region | North East |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Named after | Gateshead |
| Administrative HQ | Civic Centre,Gateshead |
| Government | |
| • Type | Metropolitan borough |
| • Body | Gateshead Council |
| • Executive | Leader and cabinet |
| • Control | Labour |
| • Leader | Martin Gannon (L) |
| • Mayor | Kath McCartney |
| • MPs | 3 MPs |
| Area | |
• Total | 55 sq mi (142 km2) |
| • Rank | 168th |
| Population (2022)[3] | |
• Total | 197,722 |
| • Rank | 99th |
| • Density | 3,600/sq mi (1,389/km2) |
| Ethnicity(2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion(2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| Postcode areas | |
| Dialling codes | 0191 |
| ISO 3166 code | GB-GAT |
| GSS code | E08000037 |
| Website | gateshead |
TheMetropolitan Borough of Gateshead is ametropolitan borough in themetropolitan county ofTyne and Wear, England. It includesGateshead,Rowlands Gill,Whickham,Blaydon,Ryton,Felling,Birtley,Pelaw,Dunston andLow Fell. The borough forms part of theTynesideconurbation, centred onNewcastle upon Tyne. At the 2021 census, the borough had a population of 196,154.
It is bordered by the local authority areas ofNewcastle upon Tyne to the north,Northumberland to the west,County Durham to the south,Sunderland to the south-east, andSouth Tyneside to the east. The council is a member of theNorth East Combined Authority.
The town of Gateshead was anancient borough, having been granted a charter in 1164 fromHugh Pudsey, theBishop of Durham.[5] The borough's functions were relatively limited until 1836, when it was made amunicipal borough under theMunicipal Corporations Act 1835, which standardised how most boroughs operated across the country.[6][7] When elected county councils were created in 1889, Gateshead was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services, and so it was made acounty borough, independent from the newDurham County Council, whilst remaining part of thegeographical county ofDurham.[8]
The modern borough of Gateshead was created on 1 April 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972, as one of fivemetropolitan boroughs within the new county of Tyne and Wear. The borough covered the whole area of five former districts and part of a sixth, which were all abolished at the same time:[9][10]
Aside from Gateshead, the other districts had all been lower-tier district authorities subordinate to Durham County Council prior to the 1974 reforms.[11]
From 1974 until 1986 the borough council was a lower-tier district authority, withTyne and Wear County Council providing county-level services. The county council was abolished in 1986, since when the borough council has provided both district-level and county-level services, as the old county borough of Gateshead had done prior to 1974. Some functions are provided across Tyne and Wear by joint committees with the other districts. The county of Tyne and Wear continues to exist as aceremonial county for the purposes of lieutenancy, but has had no administrative functions since 1986.[12]
Gateshead Council | |
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| |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Sheena Ramsey since February 2017[14] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 66 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
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| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post | |
Last election | 2 May 2024 |
Next election | 7 May 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Civic Centre, Regent Street, Gateshead, NE8 1HH | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Since 1986, Gateshead Council has provided bothdistrict-level andcounty-level functions, with some services being provided through joint arrangements with the other Tyne and Wear councils. In 2024 acombined authority was established covering Gateshead,County Durham,Newcastle upon Tyne,North Tyneside,Northumberland,South Tyneside andSunderland, called theNorth East Mayoral Combined Authority. It is chaired by the directly electedMayor of the North East and oversees the delivery of certain strategic functions across the area.[15][16]
There is onecivil parish in the borough at Lamesley, which forms an additional tier of local government for its area; the rest of the borough isunparished.[17] Birtley was also a civil parish with a town council until it was abolished in 2006.[18]
The council has been underLabour majority control since the modern borough's creation in 1974.[19]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 1974–present | |
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Gateshead. Political leadership is instead provided by theleader of the council. The leaders since 2002 have been:[20]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mick Henry[21] | Labour | 2002 | 20 May 2016 | |
| Martin Gannon | Labour | 20 May 2016 | ||
Following the2024 election the composition of the council was:[22]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 48 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 18 | |
| Total | 66 | |
The next election is due in May 2026.
Since the last boundary changes in 2004 the council has comprised 66councillors representing 22wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four-year term of office.[23]
The wards are:
The council is based at theCivic Centre on Regent Street, which was purpose-built for the council and was completed in 1987.[24]
Prior to 1987 the council had been based at theTown Hall on West Street, which had been completed in 1870 for the old Gateshead Borough Council.[25]
Innational government the borough contains four parliamentary constituencies,Blaydon and Consett,Gateshead Central and Whickham,Jarrow and Gateshead East andWashington and Gateshead South. The Gateshead Central and Whickham constituency is the only one wholly in Gateshead. Its MP, first elected in 2024, isMark Ferguson (Labour). The Blaydon and Consett constituency covers the west of the borough and Birtley to the south, and has been represented since 2017 byLiz Twist, also for Labour. The Jarrow and Gateshead East constituency takes in the very eastern tip of the borough, includingPelaw. It is represented byKate Osborne (Labour). The Washington and Gateshead South constituency is represented bySharon Hodgson (Labour).
Gateshead has hosted two major political conferences. The first of these was Labour's spring conference, ahead of the2005 general election.[26] TheConservatives also held a conference at theSage Gateshead in March 2008. The Conservatives do not have any councillors in Gateshead and at the time only had one MP in the whole of the north east region. That conference was seen as an attempt to connect to voters in the area.[27]
Gateshead has a number of schools across the borough at both primary and secondary level. Results are well above average, with a number of outstanding schools.[28] Gateshead has amongst the best primary and secondary schools in the country overall.[29] A range of schools are present in Gateshead, includingJewish,Roman Catholic,Church of England,Methodist, and non-religiousstate schools. There is oneindependent school in the borough, Chase school inWhickham.[30] Further independent schools can be found in Newcastle, Sunderland, and Tynedale.
Gateshead town itself has afurther education college,Gateshead College, and a Jewishhigher education institution,Beth Midrash Lemoroth — Jewish Teachers Training College.[31][32]
Gateshead has a variety of landscapes, urban and industrial areas include the town itself, Whickham and Blaydon in the west, with more semi-rural and rural locations in the west including Ryton and Rowlands Gill. Overall though, it is a fairly green area with over half of the borough beinggreen belt orcountryside.[33] Most of this is located away from built upTyneside to the south of the borough into Derwentside/Chester-le-Street and to the west into Tynedale.
In total, there are over twenty countryside sites in the borough, from ancient meadows and woodland to local nature reserves.[34]
Notable features of Gateshead's countryside include Ryton Willows, found at Old Ryton Village on the banks of the Tyne at Ryton. Ryton Willows is 43 hectares of locally rare grassland and ponds located near to an affluent village withGeorgian andVictorian houses. Because of this it is aSite of Special Scientific Interest.[35][36]
The Derwent Valley, in the south/south west of the borough, offers panoramic views and pleasant walks. It was in the Derwent Valley, near Rowlands Gill, that the Northern Kites Project re-introducedred kites. This was part of a national project to introduce the birds, that were once so commonplace across the country, back into the wild. This scheme has proven to be a success, with birds being spotted across the west of the borough, from Crawcrook to Rowlands Gill itself.[37][38]
The borough also contains oneNational Trust site, the expansiveGibside estate near Rowlands Gill, containing astately home and achapel, parts of its grounds have also been given SSSI status.[39]
Even in the more urban areas of the borough, in Gateshead itself and to the east, efforts have been made to maintain green spaces and wildlife sites. One such project is Bill Quay Community Farm, east of the borough. Offering a rural experience within an urban setting, it provides an important educational tool for local schools.[40]
The2001 census stated that the borough's predominant religion was 80.25%Christian. Other statistics found 10.94% ofno religion, 6.94 unstated, 0.82%Jewish and 0.60%Muslim.[41]
The2011 census, stated that the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead was 67.0% Christian, 0.9% Muslim, 1.5% Jewish, 23.9% were not religious and 5.7% of the population refused to state their religion.[42]
The area was once dependent onheavy industry such as steel making in the Derwent Valley and coal mining (across the borough).Shipbuilding on the Tyne was also a major source of employment. However, with the decline of these industries, Gateshead has attempted to re-invent itself. Although there are significant areas of deprivation in the borough, particularly in the centre and east, a number of towns and villages in the borough are popular with commuters and professionals who are employed in theservice industry and well paid areas of thesecondary sector such asengineering (which remains a major source of employment). Such commuter areas include Ryton, Rowlands Gill, Whickham and Low Fell. The borough is host toTyne Yard, a major rail freight yard serving the North East.
Gateshead Quayside, once dominated by industry, has benefited from significant investment andgentrification in the past decade.[when?][43] It is now home to theBaltic Centre for Contemporary Art and theSage Gateshead.
The area is also an important retail hub, with the largest shopping centre in theEuropean Union, and second largest in Europe as a whole, theMetroCentre, situated adjacent to theA1 trunk road. Further retail, and a significant number of engineering companies are located in theTeam Valley Trading Estate, which at one time was the largest industrial estate in Europe.[citation needed]
Gateshead is home to theBaltic Centre for Contemporary Art and theSage Gateshead. TheAnthony Gormley structure, theAngel of the North (the largest free standing sculpture in the United Kingdom) is in Gateshead. This puts Gateshead at the forefront of thearts both regionally and nationally.[44]
TheShipley Art Gallery, housing outstanding collections of contemporary craft, studio ceramics, paintings and decorative art, is managed byTyne & Wear Archives & Museums on behalf of Gateshead Council. Gateshead is a library authority and within its Central Library is a large venue facility called the Caedmon Hall.[45]
Gateshead has anassociation football team,Gateshead F.C., who play in the EnglishNational League. They play at theGateshead International Stadium, which also hostsathletics.
The following people have received theFreedom of the Borough of Gateshead:[46]
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In addition, freedom was granted to72 Engineer Regiment on 9 July 2011.[48][46]
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| Metropolitan districts | |
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| Major settlements (cities in italics) | |
| Topics | |
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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