Mayor of North Tyneside
The Mayor of North Tyneside is the executive mayor of the borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England, providing political leadership for North Tyneside Council. The incumbent since 2025 is Karen Clark. A Mayoral Referendum was held on 5 May 2016 to determine if residents wished to retain the Mayoral system or change to a committee system. The number of votes for continuing with the mayoral system was 32,546 against 23,703 for a committee system.
Until 2023, mayoral elections were held under the supplementary vote electoral system. The mayor is now elected through first-past-the-post voting, after the electoral system for mayoral elections in England were changed by the Elections Act 2022.
Election results
A mayoral by-election was held on 12 June 2003, which was won by Linda Arkley of the Conservative Party, after Chris Morgan resigned after he was arrested in relation to police investigations over allegations of possessing indecent images of children. He was cleared of all charges the following year, but was convicted of similar offences in 2019.
2025
First election held after the electoral system for mayoral elections in England were changed in 2023 from supplementary vote to first-past-the-post voting by the Elections Act 2022.
The Mayor of North Tyneside appoints a deputy mayor and a cabinet, which they also chair.
Redfearn mayorality
Norma Redfearn served as Mayor of North Tyneside from 2013 to 2025. She appointed her cabinet a week after her election in May 2013, with Bruce Pickard chosen to serve as her deputy. She reshuffled most of her cabinet after her re-election in 2017, though her deputy Pickard and some other cabinet members remained in their previous positions. For her third term from 2021, she appointed a fully new cabinet with Carl Johnson now serving as her deputy mayor. She also introduced the non-cabinet position of Armed Forces Champion, which went to Andy Newman.
Clark mayoralty
Karen Clark was elected Mayor of North Tyneside on 2 May 2025. She appointed her cabinet within the same month.