Sunderland City Council elections
Local authority elections in Sunderland, England
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Sunderland City Council elections are generally held three years out of every four, with a third of the council being elected each time. Sunderland City Council is the local authority for the metropolitan borough of the City of Sunderland in Tyne and Wear, England. Since the last boundary changes in 2004, 75 councillors have been elected from 25 wards.[1]
Council composition
Whilst under Labour control solidly since 1973, the political composition of Sunderland City Council has fluctuated over the years as the Conservatives, SDP-Liberal Alliance, and Independents gained seats from the Labour Party. Until 2019, only Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Independents (including Independent Labour) had ever won seats on Sunderland City Council.[2] When UKIP and Green Party councillors were elected in 2019, Sunderland became one of the few British councils with all five parties represented. The table below gives an impression of the council's composition based on local election results.[3]
| Election | Conservative | Labour | Liberal Democrat[4] | Independent | UKIP | Green | Reform UK | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 21 | 56 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 78 |
| 1975 | 23 | 52 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 78 |
| 1976 | 26 | 49 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 78 |
| 1978 | 27 | 49 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 78 |
| 1979 | 24 | 53 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 78 |
| 1980 | 18 | 58 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 78 |
| 1982 | 15 | 49 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 1983 | 14 | 52 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 1984 | 13 | 53 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 1986 | 11 | 59 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 1987 | 10 | 61 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 1988 | 9 | 63 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 1990 | 8 | 64 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 1991 | 8 | 64 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 1992 | 8 | 64 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 1994 | 8 | 64 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 1995 | 5 | 67 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 1996 | 4 | 68 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 1998 | 4 | 68 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 1999 | 8 | 64 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 2000 | 10 | 62 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 2002 | 11 | 62 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 2003 | 9 | 63 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 2004 | 12 | 61 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 2006 | 13 | 59 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 2007 | 17 | 53 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 2008 | 22 | 48 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 2010 | 18 | 52 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 2011 | 14 | 56 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 2012 | 8 | 64 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 2014 | 8 | 63 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 2015 | 6 | 66 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 2016 | 6 | 67 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 2018 | 8 | 61 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 2019 | 12 | 51 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75 |
| 2021 | 18 | 42 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 2022 | 18 | 41 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 2023 | 13 | 45 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 75 |
| 2024 | 10 | 53 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 2025 | 9 | 51 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 75 |
| 2026 | ||||||||
Council elections
Sunderland's Council area comprises 25 wards, each electing three councillors. Elections are held in thirds, in three years out of every four. Between 1974 and 1986, elections were held in every fourth year to Tyne and Wear County Council, until the County Council was abolished. In 1982 and 2004, all seats on Sunderland Council were up for election following boundary changes.[5]
Elections under 1973-1980 boundaries
- Sunderland Metropolitan Borough Council election, 1973 (whole council elected)
- Sunderland Metropolitan Borough Council election, 1975
- Sunderland Metropolitan Borough Council election, 1976
- Sunderland Metropolitan Borough Council election, 1978
- Sunderland Metropolitan Borough Council election, 1979
- Sunderland Metropolitan Borough Council election, 1980
Elections under 1982-2003 boundaries
- Sunderland Metropolitan Borough Council election, 1982 (whole council elected after boundary changes)
- Sunderland Metropolitan Borough Council election, 1983
- Sunderland Metropolitan Borough Council election, 1984
- Sunderland Metropolitan Borough Council election, 1986
- Sunderland Metropolitan Borough Council election, 1987
- Sunderland Metropolitan Borough Council election, 1988
- Sunderland Metropolitan Borough Council election, 1990
- Sunderland Metropolitan Borough Council election, 1991
- 1992 Sunderland City Council election
- 1994 Sunderland City Council election
- 1995 Sunderland City Council election
- 1996 Sunderland City Council election
- 1998 Sunderland City Council election
- 1999 Sunderland City Council election
- 2000 Sunderland City Council election
- 2002 Sunderland City Council election
- 2003 Sunderland City Council election
Elections under 2004 boundaries
- 2004 Sunderland City Council election (whole council elected after boundary changes)[6]
- 2006 Sunderland City Council election
- 2007 Sunderland City Council election
- 2008 Sunderland City Council election
- 2010 Sunderland City Council election
- 2011 Sunderland City Council election
- 2012 Sunderland City Council election
- 2014 Sunderland City Council election
- 2015 Sunderland City Council election
- 2016 Sunderland City Council election
- 2018 Sunderland City Council election
- 2019 Sunderland City Council election
- 2021 Sunderland City Council election
- 2022 Sunderland City Council election
- 2023 Sunderland City Council election
- 2024 Sunderland City Council election
- 2026 Sunderland City Council election
Election results maps
2004 results map
2006 results map
2007 results map
2008 results map
2010 results map
2011 results map
2012 results map
2014 results map
2015 results map
2016 results map
2018 results map
2019 results map
2021 results map
2022 results map
2023 results map
2024 results map
2026 results map
By-election results
1994-1998
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | 636 | 71.1 | −10.3 | ||
| Conservative | 178 | 19.9 | +1.3 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | 80 | 9.0 | +9.0 | ||
| Majority | 458 | 51.2 | |||
| Turnout | 894 | 11.4 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
1998-2002
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | 646 | 46.7 | −18.7 | ||
| Conservative | 394 | 28.5 | +9.9 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | 343 | 24.8 | +8.9 | ||
| Majority | 252 | 18.2 | |||
| Turnout | 1,383 | 18.0 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | 509 | 63.4 | |||
| Conservative | 155 | 19.3 | |||
| Liberal Democrats | 139 | 17.3 | |||
| Majority | 354 | 44.1 | |||
| Turnout | 803 | 11.8 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | 3,074 | 65.9 | +2.2 | ||
| Conservative | 860 | 18.4 | −17.8 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | 731 | 15.7 | +15.7 | ||
| Majority | 2,214 | 47.5 | |||
| Turnout | 4,665 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
2004-2006
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Anthony Morrissey | 1,139 | 50.8 |  15.8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Peter Taylor | 547 | 24.4 |  4.7 | |
| Labour | Ian Galbraith | 489 | 21.8 | 4.5 | |
| BNP | Ian Leadbitter | 67 | 3.0 | 6.6 | |
| Majority | 592 | 26.4 | |||
| Turnout | 2,242 | 25.5 | 23 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | 10.3 |
|||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Paul Dixon | 566 | 43.5 | 10.2 | |
| Labour | Shirley Waldron | 397 | 30.5 | 1.1 | |
| Conservative | Leslie Dobson | 260 | 20.0 | 1.6 | |
| BNP | James Davison | 79 | 6.0 | 7.4 | |
| Majority | 169 | 13.0 | |||
| Turnout | 1,302 | 18.2 | 17.7 | ||
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | 5.7 |
|||
2006-2010
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Angela Cuthbert | 1,196 | 49.9 | 9.8 | |
| Labour | Dianne Snowdon | 994 | 41.5 | 2.2 | |
| Liberal Democrats | David Snowball | 206 | 8.6 | 5.6 | |
| Majority | 202 | 8.4 | |||
| Turnout | 2,396 | 27.6 | 8.3 | ||
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | 6 |
|||
2010-2014
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Gemma Taylor | 1,418 | 47.1 | 1.3 | |
| Independent | John Ellis | 1,124 | 37.3 | 37.3 | |
| UKIP | Edward Coleman-Hughes | 302 | 10 | ||
| Conservative | George Brown | 111 | 3.7 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Sue Sterling | 55 | 1.8 | 0.5 | |
| Majority | 294 | 9.8 | |||
| Turnout | 3,010 | 33.3 | 2.5 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | 19.3 |
|||
2014-2018
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Tony Taylor | 775 | 38.3 | 3 | |
| Conservative | Hilary Johnson | 595 | 29.4 | 4.1 | |
| UKIP | Alistair Baxter | 506 | 25 | 1.1 | |
| Green | Tony Murphy | 93 | 4.6 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Stephen O'Brien | 52 | 2.6 | 2.2 | |
| Majority | 180 | 8.9 | |||
| Turnout | 2,021 | 23.4 | 10.9 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | 3.6 |
|||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Stephen O'Brien | 824 | 45.0 | 41.5 | |
| Labour | Gary Waller | 458 | 25.0 | 29.9 | |
| UKIP | Bryan Foster | 343 | 18.7 | 7.2 | |
| Conservative | Gavin Wilson | 184 | 10.0 | 5.7 | |
| Green | Helmut Izaks | 23 | 1.3 | ||
| Majority | 366 | 20.0 | |||
| Turnout | 1,832 | 23.8 | 4.8 | ||
| Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | 35.7 |
|||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Martin Haswell | 1,251 | 53.8 | 49.5 | |
| Labour | Gordon Chalk | 807 | 31.7 | 25.9 | |
| Conservative | Grant Shearer | 126 | 5.4 | 4.2 | |
| UKIP | Steven Bewick | 97 | 4.2 | 24.7 | |
| Green | Craig Hardy | 39 | 1.7 | 1.8 | |
| Majority | 444 | 19.1 | |||
| Turnout | 2,324 | 31.7 | 2.7 | ||
| Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | 37.7 |
|||
2018-2022
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Iain Scott | 661 | 31.6 | 1.7 | |
| Liberal Democrats | John Lennox | 634 | 30.3 | 30.3 | |
| Independent | David Geddis | 386 | 18.5 | 3.1 | |
| Conservative | Adelle Burnicle | 303 | 14.5 | 8.8 | |
| Independent | Maurice Allen | 67 | 3.2 | 3.2 | |
| Green | Justine Merton-Scott | 41 | 2 | 1.8 | |
| Majority | 27 | 1.3 | 3.3 | ||
| Turnout | 2,092 | 22.5 | 10.3 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | 16 |
|||
At the time of resignation, incumbent Keith Jenkins was an independent.[10]
2022-2026
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform | Ian McKinley | 1,270 | 46.3 | 46.3 | |
| Independent | David Geddis | 689 | 25.1 | 11.2 | |
| Labour | Lauren Laws | 611 | 22.3 | 22.8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Mia Coupland | 113 | 4.1 | 2.1 | |
| Conservative | Adam Aiston | 61 | 2.2 | 10.2 | |
| Majority | 581 | 21.2 | 12.4 | ||
| Turnout | 2744 | 29.3 | 0.3 | ||
| Reform gain from Labour | Swing | ||||
The by-election was caused by the death of Councillor Claire Rowntree.[12] Cllr Ian McKinley later resigned from Reform UK on 11 February 2026 to sit as an Independent.