The town of Gateshead was an ancient borough, having been granted a charter in 1164 from Hugh Pudsey, the Bishop of Durham.

In 2024 a combined authority was established covering Gateshead, County Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland, called the North East Mayoral Combined Authority.

It is chaired by the directly elected Mayor of the North East and oversees the delivery of certain strategic functions across the area.

The Blaydon and Consett constituency covers the west of the borough and Birtley to the south, and has been represented since 2017 by Liz Twist, also for Labour.

The Jarrow and Gateshead East constituency takes in the very eastern tip of the borough, including Pelaw.

In total, there are over twenty countryside sites in the borough, from ancient meadows and woodland to local nature reserves.

Ryton Willows is 43 hectares of locally rare grassland and ponds located near to an affluent village with Georgian and Victorian houses.

[35][36] The Derwent Valley, in the south/south west of the borough, offers panoramic views and pleasant walks.

This scheme has proven to be a success, with birds being spotted across the west of the borough, from Crawcrook to Rowlands Gill itself.

[37][38] The borough also contains one National Trust site, the expansive Gibside estate near Rowlands Gill, containing a stately home and a chapel, parts of its grounds have also been given SSSI status.

[39] Even in the more urban areas of the borough, in Gateshead itself and to the east, efforts have been made to maintain green spaces and wildlife sites.

Offering a rural experience within an urban setting, it provides an important educational tool for local schools.

[42] The area was once dependent on heavy industry such as steel making in the Derwent Valley and coal mining (across the borough).

Although there are significant areas of deprivation in the borough, particularly in the centre and east, a number of towns and villages in the borough are popular with commuters and professionals who are employed in the service industry and well paid areas of the secondary sector such as engineering (which remains a major source of employment).

Gateshead Quayside, once dominated by industry, has benefited from significant investment and gentrification in the past decade.[when?

The Anthony Gormley structure, the Angel of the North (the largest free standing sculpture in the United Kingdom) is in Gateshead.