Sunderland City Council elections

One third of Sunderland City Council in Tyne and Wear, England is elected each year, followed by one year without election. Since the last boundary changes in 2004, 75 councillors have been elected from 25 wards.[1]

Political control

Since the first election to the council in 1973 political control of the council has been held by the following parties:[2]

Party in controlYears
Labour1973–present

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. 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 Total
1973 21 56 0 1 78
1975 23 52 1 2 78
1976 26 49 1 2 0 78
1978 27 49 1 1 0 78
1979 24 53 0 1 0 78
1980 18 58 1 1 0 78
1982 15 49 8 3 0 75
1983 14 52 7 2 0 75
1984 13 53 7 2 0 75
1986 11 59 5 0 0 75
1987 10 61 4 0 0 75
1988 9 63 3 0 0 75
1990 8 64 3 0 0 75
1991 8 64 3 0 0 75
1992 8 64 3 0 0 75
1994 8 64 3 0 0 0 75
1995 5 67 3 0 0 0 75
1996 4 68 3 0 0 0 75
1998 4 68 3 0 0 0 75
1999 8 64 3 0 0 0 75
2000 10 62 3 0 0 0 75
2002 11 62 2 0 0 0 75
2003 9 63 1 2 0 0 75
2004 12 61 2 0 0 0 75
2006 13 59 2 1 0 0 75
2007 17 53 1 4 0 0 75
2008 22 48 1 4 0 0 75
2010 18 52 1 4 0 0 75
2011 14 56 1 4 0 0 75
2012 8 64 0 3 0 0 75
2014 8 63 0 4 0 0 75
2015 6 66 0 3 0 0 75
2016 6 67 1 1 0 0 75
2018 8 61 6 0 0 0 75
2019 12 51 8 0 3 1 75

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

Elections under 1982-2003 boundaries

Elections under 2004 boundaries

Election results maps
  • 2004 results map
  • 2006 results map
  • 2007 results map
  • 2008 results map
  • 2010 results map
  • 2011 results map
  • 2014 results map
  • 2018 results map

By-election results

1997-2004
South Hylton By-Election 18 September 1997
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
Colliery By-Election 23 July 1998
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
Town End Farm By-Election 6 July 2000
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
Eppleton By-Election 7 June 2001
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-present
Barnes by-election, 24 November 2005
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
Millfield by-election, 23 March 2006[7]
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
Washington East by-election, 27 September 2007[8]
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
Houghton by-election, 2 May 2013
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
St Anne's by-election, 27 March 2014
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jacqui Gallagher 945 48.1 24
UKIP Aileen Casey 555 28.2 28.2
Conservative Tony Morrissey 345 17.6 3.6
Green Emily Blyth 120 6.1 5
Majority 390 19.8
Turnout 1,965 23.2 4.8
Labour hold Swing 26.1
Washington East by-election, 11 December 2014
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
Sandhill by-election, 12 January 2017
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
Pallion by-election, 1 February 2018
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

References
  1. "Information available about your Local Area". Sunderland City Council. Retrieved 2010-12-21.
  2. "Sunderland". BBC News Online. 19 April 2009. Retrieved 2010-12-21.
  3. Incorporating local by-election results from 2000.
  4. Liberal prior to 1981, SDP-Liberal Alliance from 1981 to 1988.
  5. "Tyne and Wear: Ward Voting Summaries 1973-2015". Tyne and Wear Elects. Retrieved 19 Feb 2018.
  6. "Sunderland council". BBC News Online. Retrieved 2010-12-21.
  7. "Lib-Dems retain second seat in city". Sunderland Echo. 2006-03-24. Retrieved 2010-12-21.
  8. "Declaration of Result of Poll". Sunderland City Council. Archived from the original on 2011-08-07. Retrieved 2010-12-21.
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