A NEW leader for the Northumberland Labour Group will need to be elected following a major blow in the 2021 county council elections.

The group's leader Susan Dungworth lost her seat in Hartley in the most dramatic of fashion, with the outcome of the vote decided by a rare ballot box draw.

The terms of the draw mean that, if two or more candidates receive the exact same number of votes, their names are put in the ballot box and the name pulled out of the box is declared the winner.

The names Susan Dungworth and Tory candidate David Ferguson were put into the box after receiving 868 votes each, but it was Coun. Ferguson's name pulled out and he will now serve the ward for the next four years.

Following the election results, Northumberland Labour Group tweeted: "Congratulations to all our candidates who were elected last night. Dreadful news of some really hard working people who lost seats."

Labour's deputy leader Scott Dickinson retained his seat in Druridge Bay.

Northumberland County Council's leader Glen Sanderson and deputy leader Richard Dodd both retained their seats, and a leadership vote to determine whether they will keep their roles is to be held by the Northumberland Tories in the coming week.