Gateshead is located on the southern bank of the river Tyne, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne to the north, and bordering County Durham to the south, Northumberland to the west and South Tyneside/Sunderland to the east. It is an urban borough with the largest rural area of any in England. Our heritage is ancient but we boast modern icons including The Angel of the North, The Glasshouse International Centre of Music, the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, the Millennium Bridge and a growing community of software companies and VR designers. Advancing technology has always been a part of Gateshead’s story - the first house in the world to be lit by electricity is here in Low Fell. We are also home to the most important centre of Jewish scholarship in Europe with a community of around 3,000. The borough stretches almost 13 miles along the south bank of the river Tyne and covers 55 square miles, making it the largest of the five Tyne and Wear authorities. Alongside a large urban hub are distinct communities of smaller centres and busy employment areas such as Blaydon, Whickham, Felling and Birtley. Our rural settlements include Kibblesworth, Sunniside, Ryton, Chopwell, Rowlands Gill and High Spen. Gateshead has a population of around 196,100 (ONS Census 2021) living in 89,000 households (ONS Census 2021). Gateshead Liberal Democrats have been the only Opposition to Labour on the Council since 1996. Our team of 17 campaigning Councillors represent seven wards: Whickham North, Whickham South and Sunniside, Dunston Hill and Whickham East, Pelaw and Heworth, Low Fell, Saltwell and Birtley. Across the Gateshead and Washington parliamentary constituency, we gained nearly 40% of the vote in May 2023. This website introduces our team and our campaigns.