Durham City Council elections
Local government elections in County Durham, England
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Durham City Council elections were generally held every four years between the reforms of 1974 and the council's abolition in 2009. Durham was a non-metropolitan district in County Durham, England. On 1 April 2009 the council's functions passed to Durham County Council, which became a unitary authority.
Political control
From 1836 to 1974 the city of Durham was a municipal borough, sometimes called "Durham and Framwelgate". Under the Local Government Act 1972 it had its territory enlarged and became a non-metropolitan district.[1][2][3][4]
The first election to the reconstituted city council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its revised powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council from 1974 until its abolition in 2009 was as follows:[5]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 1974–1979 | |
| No overall control | 1979–1983 | |
| Labour | 1983–2003 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 2003–2009 | |
Leadership
The leaders of the council from 2003 until its abolition in 2009 were:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maurice Crathorne[6] | Labour | May 2003 | ||
| Sue Pitts[7][8] | Liberal Democrats | 20 May 2003 | 2004 | |
| Fraser Reynolds[8][9] | Liberal Democrats | 2004 | 2009 | |
Council elections
| Election | Labour | Liberal Democrat[a] | Conservative | Independent | Total | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973[10] | 40 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 61 | |
| 1976[11] | 34 | 10 | 0 | 17[b] | 61 | |
| 1979[12] | 24 | 7 | 4 | 14 | 49 | New ward boundaries[13] |
| 1983[14] | 27 | 9[c] | 2 | 11[d] | 49 | |
| 1987[15] | 26 | 14[e] | 0 | 9[f] | 49 | City boundary changes took place but the number of seats remained the same[16][17] |
| 1991[18] | 28 | 15 | 0 | 6 | 49 | |
| 1995[19] | 38 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 49 | City boundary changes took place but the number of seats remained the same[20][21] |
| 1999[22] | 33 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 49 | |
| 2003[23] | 17 | 30 | 0 | 3 | 50 | New ward boundaries[24] |
| 2007[25] | 17 | 30 | 0 | 3 | 50 | |
Results maps
2003 results map
2007 results map
By-election results
The following is an incomplete list of by-elections to Durham City Council.
1995-1999
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | 561 | 64.2 | |||
| Independent | 259 | 29.6 | |||
| Liberal Democrats | 54 | 6.2 | |||
| Majority | 302 | 34.6 | |||
| Turnout | 874 | 31.0 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
1999-2003
2003-2007
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | 645 | 59.5 | −8.6 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | 396 | 36.5 | +4.6 | ||
| Conservative | 43 | 4.0 | +4.0 | ||
| Majority | 249 | 23.0 | |||
| Turnout | 1,084 | 23.4 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | 364 | 46.1 | −4.5 | ||
| Independent | 244 | 30.9 | +1.6 | ||
| Labour | 119 | 15.1 | +0.1 | ||
| Conservative | 63 | 8.0 | +2.9 | ||
| Majority | 120 | 15.2 | |||
| Turnout | 790 | 26.4 | |||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Amanda Hopgood | 740 | 70.7 | −9.4 | |
| Labour | 180 | 17.2 | −2.7 | ||
| Conservative | 65 | 6.2 | +6.2 | ||
| Independent | 62 | 5.9 | +5.9 | ||
| Majority | 560 | 53.5 | |||
| Turnout | 1,047 | 39.0 | |||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Les Thomson | 1,618 | 54.1 | ||
| Labour | 1,141 | 38.2 | |||
| Conservative | 229 | 7.7 | |||
| Majority | 477 | 53.5 | |||
| Turnout | 2,988 | 69.5 | |||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | John Hepplewhite | 1,947 | 69.3 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | 640 | 22.8 | |||
| Conservative | 221 | 7.9 | |||
| Majority | 1,307 | 46.5 | |||
| Turnout | 2,808 | 64.6 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Brian Colledge | 658 | 48.7 | −5.1 | |
| Labour | Angela Leary | 625 | 46.3 | +15.2 | |
| Conservative | Carolyn Smith | 67 | 5.0 | +5.0 | |
| Majority | 33 | 2.4 | |||
| Turnout | 1,350 | 35.1 | |||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | ||||
Notes
- Liberal Party prior to 1983, SDP-Liberal Alliance in 1983 and 1987.
- Including one Independent Labour
- 5 Liberal, 4 SDP
- Including one Independent Labour
- 5 Liberal, 9 SDP
- Including three Independent Labour