Status: Candidates confirmed — polling day is Thursday 6 August 2026. Result awaiting declaration.
Voters in Harton will choose a new South Tyneside councillor on Thursday 6 August, following the resignation of Reform UK councillor Alex Clarke.
Seven candidates are standing in the single-seat contest. Reform UK is defending a ward in which it won all three seats at the May 2026 elections, although the circumstances of this by-election and the switch from a three-seat election to a one-seat contest mean the earlier figures are not a direct forecast of Thursday's result.
When is the Harton Ward by-election?
The Harton Ward by-election will take place on Thursday 6 August 2026. Polling stations will be open from 7am until 10pm.
The election is being held to fill one vacancy on South Tyneside Council.
Why is there a by-election in Harton?
South Tyneside Council called the contest following the resignation of Alex Clarke, who had been elected as one of Harton's three Reform UK councillors on 7 May 2026.
Clarke left the council little more than a month after his election. In media reports following his departure, he said he believed the councillor's role had been “mis-sold” to him and that he had understood it would involve attending only six meetings a year.
Who is standing in the Harton Ward by-election?
The seven confirmed candidates are:
| Candidate | Party or Description |
| Phil Brown | Independent |
| Katie Groom | Reform UK |
| Sam Hill | Conservative and Unionist Party |
| Kathryn Kaupa | Green Party |
| Neil Maxwell | Labour and Co-operative Party |
| Karen Louise Myers | Independent |
| Mark Robson | Liberal Democrats |
Harton Ward by-election result
Awaiting declaration. This page will be updated with the official vote totals, vote shares, turnout and winning majority once South Tyneside Council declares the result.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
| Phil Brown | Independent | Awaiting declaration | — |
| Katie Groom | Reform UK | Awaiting declaration | — |
| Sam Hill | Conservative | Awaiting declaration | — |
| Kathryn Kaupa | Green | Awaiting declaration | — |
| Neil Maxwell | Labour and Co-operative | Awaiting declaration | — |
| Karen Louise Myers | Independent | Awaiting declaration | — |
| Mark Robson | Liberal Democrats | Awaiting declaration | — |
What happened in Harton in May 2026?
Reform UK won all three Harton seats when the whole council was elected on 7 May. Shaun Barclay led the poll with 1,171 votes, followed by Alex Clarke on 1,136 and Jim Mouat on 1,133.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
| Shaun Barclay | Reform UK | 1,171 | Elected |
| Alex Robert Clarke | Reform UK | 1,136 | Elected |
| Jim Mouat | Reform UK | 1,133 | Elected |
| Karen Louise Myers | Independent | 674 | Not elected |
| Ann Margaret Brenen | Independent | 658 | Not elected |
| Pat Hay | Independent | 559 | Not elected |
| Michael Thomas Pittuck | Green Party | 530 | Not elected |
| Declan Guiney | Green Party | 455 | Not elected |
| Kathryn Kaupa | Green Party | 435 | Not elected |
| Neil Maxwell | Labour | 413 | Not elected |
| Michael Henry Clare | Labour | 391 | Not elected |
| Susan Traynor | Labour | 381 | Not elected |
The ward had an electorate of 6,306 and 2,747 people voted, producing an official turnout of 43.6%.
Those figures need to be handled carefully. May's election filled three seats and voters could support up to three candidates. The by-election fills only one seat and each voter has one vote, so the candidate totals are useful background but are not directly comparable.
Why does the Harton result matter?
The result will not decide control of South Tyneside Council. Reform UK won 41 of the authority's 54 seats in May, compared with ten for the Green Party, two independents and one Labour councillor. Clarke's resignation created the vacancy now being contested, but Reform retains a substantial council majority.
Politically, however, the contest offers an early test of whether Reform can hold the support that produced its May sweep after one of its newly elected councillors resigned so quickly.
It will also show whether the opposition vote consolidates in a single-seat contest. Independent Karen Louise Myers was the highest-placed non-Reform candidate in May, while Green candidate Kathryn Kaupa and Labour candidate Neil Maxwell are also returning to the ballot paper.
How will the winner be elected?
The by-election uses first past the post. Voters choose one candidate and the candidate receiving the most votes becomes the new councillor; an overall majority of all votes cast is not required.
When will the Harton result be announced?
South Tyneside Council has not published a firm expected declaration time. The result will be added to this page as soon as the council makes its official declaration.
What do voters need at the polling station?
People voting in person must take an accepted form of photographic identification. A polling card is helpful but is not required to vote. Postal voters should return their completed ballot in time for it to reach the returning officer by the close of poll.
Last updated: 2 August 2026.