Conservative and Labour candidates face off for North of Tyne Mayor

The race to become the first North of Tyne Mayor is now a fight between the two main parties.
The final two - Conservative Charlie Hoult and Labour's Jamie Driscoll.The final two - Conservative Charlie Hoult and Labour's Jamie Driscoll.
The final two - Conservative Charlie Hoult and Labour's Jamie Driscoll.

No candidate got more than 50% of the votes on first preferences so it will now go down to the second preferences, although Labour’s Jamie Driscoll is in pole position.

He received 62,034 votes (34%), with Conservative Charlie Hoult getting 45,494 (25%).

The final two - Conservative Charlie Hoult and Labour's Jamie Driscoll.The final two - Conservative Charlie Hoult and Labour's Jamie Driscoll.
The final two - Conservative Charlie Hoult and Labour's Jamie Driscoll.
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The three eliminated after the first round were: John McCabe (Independent) – 31,507; John Appleby (Lib Dem) – 23,768; Hugh Jackson (Ukip) – 20,131.

The second preferential count got under way at 1.30pm, with a result expected after 3pm.

The overall turnout for the North of Tyne area was 32.33%. In the three council areas, it was as follows: Northumberland – 27.12%; Newcastle – 37.14%; North Tyneside – 35.05%.

The overall electorate is 572,229, made up of 241,798 in Northumberland, 176,699 in Newcastle and 153,732 in North Tyneside.

You can follow our live blog here to keep up with what's happening at the count.

Ben O'Connell, Local Democracy Reporting Service