Thankyou to all Lib Dem supporters and voters!

Newcastle Liberal Democrats would like to thank everyone who voted for us in the Council elections on Thursday.

The Lib Dems lost 10 seats, and overall control of the Council, to Labour.

Outgoing Council Leader, Cllr David Faulkner, said:

"We're disappointed not to have won the elections. It is clear that many people decided to cast their local vote, based on national issues.

We have never claimed to be perfect, but over the last 7 years, the Lib Dems have completely transformed Newcastle City Council from a wasteful, centralised, undemocratic organisation into a highly efficient, low-tax, de-centralised and environmentally excellent body. Because of this, we have been able to maintain most of our front-line services, even in the face of huge cuts in our grant, caused by the previous Labour Government's appalling handling of the public finances.

Apart from keeping our promise to hold Council Tax below inflation every year for 7 years, we are particularly proud of having won the award of "UK's Greenest City" for the last two years in a row. All of our councillors have worked hard in their wards, to support local people, tackle problems and improve their areas.

So we leave control with our heads held high, and our remaining councillors will continue to provide the same high-quality service to local residents as always. We will of course also be providing constructive Opposition to Labour's running of the Council in future."

Please don't hesitate to contact your local Lib Dem councillor with any queries about your circumstances, or your local area. We're always happy to help you, whatever your political allegiance.