Sunderland City Council elections

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

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

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

By-election results

1994-1998

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

1998-2002

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

2004-2006

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

2006-2010

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

2010-2014

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

2014-2018

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

2018-2022

Hetton by-election, 30 September 2021

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

Redhill by-election, 3 March 2022^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Usher	709	46.9	9.3
	Liberal Democrats	Steven Donkin	386	25.5	25.5
	Conservative	Sue Leishman	296	19.6	5.5
	UKIP	Ian Lines	85	5.6	35.4
	Green	Helmut Izaks	35	2.3	5.0
Majority			323	21.4
Turnout			1,511
	Labour gain from UKIP		Swing

At the time of resignation, incumbent Keith Jenkins was an independent.^[10]