Senior vice-chair of the Local Government Association (LGA), Cllr Nick Forbes, has lost a vote to be reselected for Labour in the local elections in May.

The 48-year-old leader of Newcastle City Council for more than 10 years, who leads the LGA's Labour group and sometimes attends the shadow cabinet, said he was ‘immensely sad' after losing a vote to be selected as a candidate for the Arthur's Hill ward.