Labour suffers defeat as targets for city rejected

LABOUR has suffered an embarrassment in Newcastle as its vision for the city was rejected by councillors.

- DANIEL HOLLAND Local Democracy Reporter

The city’s ruling party saw its council plan, a key document setting the direction for Newcastle City Council until 2028, voted down on Wednesday night.

While Labour has been in charge in Newcastle since 2011, it is now running a minority administration at the Civic Centre following a period of political turmoil. Eight city councillors have quit Newcastle Labour in the past 18 months, most notably when former council leader Nick Kemp led an exodus of six members last November.

And the party’s lack of a majority in the council chamber, where it holds only 38 of 78 seats, had significant consequences last week. Councillors voted by a 33 to 30 margin on Wednesday to refuse to adopt Labour’s council plan - the first time in recent memory that Labour has been defeated in a city council vote.