Sunderland City Council
Arms of Sunderland City Council
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1974
Leadership
Mayor of Sunderland
Dorothy Truman, Labour
since 17 May 2023
Leader of the Council
Graeme Miller, Labour
since 16 May 2018
Deputy Leader
Claire Rowntree, Labour
Leader of the Opposition
Antony Mullen, Conservative
since 13 September 2023
Chief executive
Patrick Melia
since 21 June 2018
Structure
Seats75 councillors[1]
Sunderland City Council composition
Political groups
Administration (47)
  Labour (47)
Other parties (28)
  Liberal Democrat (12)
  Conservative (13)
  Reform UK (1)
  Independent (2)
Joint committees
North East Combined Authority
Elections
First past the post
Last election
2021 (one third of councillors)
2022 (one third of councillors)
2023 (one third of councillors)
Next election
2024 (one third of councillors) 2026 (all councillors)
Motto
Nil desperandum auspice deo
Meeting place
City Hall, Sunderland
Website
www.sunderland.gov.uk

Sunderland City Council is the local authority of the City of Sunderland in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a metropolitan district council, one of five in Tyne and Wear and one of 36 in the metropolitan counties of England, and provides the majority of local government services in Sunderland.

Political composition

Sunderland City Council has been controlled by the Labour Party from its formation in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. There are currently 48 Labour councillors (one elected as Conservative, two elected as Liberal Democrats), 12 Liberal Democrats, 13 Conservatives, 1 independent (elected as Liberal Democrats) and 1 Reform UK councillor (elected as Conservative).

On the 13th September, two Liberal Democrat councillors defected to the Labour Party, following an earlier Liberal Democrat councillor defecting to sit as an Independent. This restored the Conservatives Party as the majority party in opposition party in the city.

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.[2]

At the first round of elections in 1973, 78 councillors were elected from 26 wards, and the make-up of the Council was: 56 Labour councillors, 21 Conservatives, and one Independent.

At the 1982 local elections following boundary changes, 75 councillors were elected from 25 wards, and the composition of the council was: 49 Labour, 15 Conservatives, eight SDP-Liberal Alliance, and three Independent Labour councillors

At the 2004 local elections following boundary changes, 75 councillors were elected from 25 wards, and the composition of the council was: 61 Labour councillors, 12 Conservatives and two Liberal Democrats.

In the May 2016 local elections, the Labour Party gained two seats, the Conservatives held two seats, and the Liberal Democrats won one seat.[3] This made the composition of the Council for 2016/17: 67 Labour councillors, six Conservatives, one Liberal Democrat and one Independent. Following by-elections in January 2017 and February 2018, the Liberal Democrats gained two further seats from the Labour Party.[4]

In the May 2018 local elections, the Labour Party gained a seat from an Independent councillor in Copt Hill, but lost three seats to the Liberal Democrats, and two to the Conservatives.[5]

In the May 2019 local elections, the Labour Party lost ten seats: four to the Conservatives, three to UKIP, two to the Liberal Democrats, and one to the Green Party. Neither UKIP nor the Green Party had previously been represented on the city council.[6]

The 2020 local elections were scheduled for 7 May 2020, but were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and held on 6 May 2021.[7]

Council wards

Wards within the Sunderland City Council area Inset: Sunderland within Tyne and Wear

The Sunderland City Council area is coterminous with the boundaries of the city's three parliamentary constituencies – Sunderland Central, Houghton and Sunderland South and Washington and Sunderland West – and the 25 council wards are distributed between them.[8]

The following Sunderland Council wards fall within the Sunderland Central constituency: Barnes, Fulwell, Hendon, Millfield, Pallion, Ryhope, St Michael's (covering the areas of Ashbrooke and Hill View), St Peter's (covering the areas of Roker and Monkwearmouth) and Southwick.

Houghton and Sunderland South constituency comprises the wards of Copt Hill, Doxford, Hetton, Houghton, St Chad's (covering the areas of Herrington and Farringdon), Sandhill (covering the areas of Thorney Close, Grindon and Springwell), Shiney Row, and Silksworth.

Washington and Sunderland West constituency comprises the wards of Castle (covering the areas of Castletown and Town End Farm), Redhill (covering Redhouse and Witherwack), St Anne's (covering South Hylton and Pennywell), Washington Central, Washington East, Washington North, Washington South and Washington West.

Sunderland Central Houghton and Sunderland South Washington and Sunderland West
A. Barnes

E. Fulwell

F. Hendon

J. Millfield

K. Pallion

M. Ryhope

P. St Michael's

Q. St Peter's

U. Southwick

C. Copt Hill

D. Doxford

G. Hetton

H. Houghton

O. St Chad's

R. Sandhill

S. Shiney Row

T. Silksworth

B. Castle

L. Redhill

N. St Anne's

V. Washington Central

W. Washington East

X. Washington North

Y. Washington South

Z. Washington West

Councillors

Sunderland's 25 Council wards are each represented by three elected councillors.[9]

Current Sunderland City Councillors
Parliamentary Constituency Ward Councillors Elected on
Sunderland Central Barnes Antony Mullen 5 May 2022
Ehthesham Haque 4 May 2023
Richard Dunn 6 May 2021
Washington and Sunderland West Castle Allison Chisnal 5 May 2022
Stephen Foster 4 May 2023
Denny Wilson 6 May 2021
Houghton and Sunderland South Copt Hill Melanie Thornton 4 May 2023
Kevin Johnson 6 May 2021
Tracy Dodds 16 June 2022
Houghton and Sunderland South Doxford Allen Curtis 5 May 2022
Heather Fagan 4 May 2023
Paul Gibson 6 May 2021
Sunderland Central Fulwell Malcolm Bond 5 May 2022
Peter Walton 4 May 2023
Michael Hartnack 6 May 2021
Sunderland Central Hendon Michael Mordey 5 May 2022
Lynda Scalan 2 May 2019
Ciaran Morrissey 6 May 2021
Houghton and Sunderland South Hetton Claire Rowntree 5 May 2022
Iain Scott 4 May 2023
James Blackburn 6 May 2021
Houghton and Sunderland South Houghton Mark Burrell 5 May 2022
Juliana Heron 4 May 2023
John Price 6 May 2021
Sunderland Central Millfield Andrew Wood 5 May 2022
Julia Potts 4 May 2023
Niall Hodson 6 May 2021
Sunderland Central Pallion George Smith 5 May 2022
Martin Haswell 4 May 2023
Colin Nicholson 6 May 2021
Washington and Sunderland West Redhill Paul Stewart 5 May 2022
John Usher 4 May 2023
Alison Smith 6 May 2021
Sunderland Central Ryhope Martyn Herron 5 May 2022
Lindsey Leonard 4 May 2023
Usman Ali 6 May 2021
Houghton and Sunderland South Sandhill Margaret Crosby 5 May 2022
Stephen O’Brien 4 May 2023
Paul Edgeworth 6 May 2021
Houghton and Sunderland South Shiney Row Mel Speding 5 May 2022
David Snowdon 4 May 2023
Katherine Mason-Gage 6 May 2021
Houghton and Sunderland South Silksworth Phillip Tye 5 May 2022
Joanne Laverick 4 May 2023
Pat Smith 6 May 2021
Sunderland Central Southwick Alex Samuels 5 May 2022
Michael Butler 4 May 2023
Kelly Chequer 6 May 2021
Washington and Sunderland West St Anne's Susan Watson 5 May 2022
Catherine Hunter 4 May 2023
Greg Peacock 6 May 2021
Houghton and Sunderland South St Chad's Simon Ayre 5 May 2022
Dominic McDonough 4 May 2023
Chris Burnicle 6 May 2021
Sunderland Central St Michael's Michael Dixon 5 May 2022
Adele Graham-King 4 May 2023
Lyall Reed 6 May 2021
Sunderland Central St Peter's Lynn Vera 5 May 2022
Josh McKeith 4 May 2023
Sam Johnston 6 May 2021
Washington and Sunderland West Washington Central Linda Williams 5 May 2022
Beth Jones 4 May 2023
Dianne Snowdon 6 May 2021
Washington and Sunderland West Washington East Logan Guy 5 May 2022
Fiona Miller 4 May 2023
Sean Laws 6 May 2021
Washington and Sunderland West Washington North Jill Fletcher 5 May 2022
Peter Walker 4 May 2023
Michael Walker 6 May 2021
Washington and Sunderland West Washington South Graeme Miller 5 May 2022
Joanne Chapman 4 May 2023
Paul Donaghy 6 May 2021
Washington and Sunderland West Washington West Dorothy Trueman 5 May 2022
Henry Trueman 4 May 2023
Jimmy Warne 6 May 2021

References

  1. "Open Council Data UK - compositions councillors parties wards elections". opencouncildata.co.uk. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  2. "Tyne and Wear: Ward Voting Summaries, 1973-2015". Tyne and Wear Elects. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  3. Silfverskiold, Petra (6 May 2016). "Labour dominate Sunderland 2016 elections – with a couple of surprises". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  4. "What the Liberal Democrat by-election victory means for Labour control in Sunderland". Sunderland Echo. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  5. Lindsay, Kali (3 May 2018). "Sunderland City Council elections - results in full". nechronicle. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  6. "How a night of drama unfolded at the Sunderland City Council elections 2019". www.sunderlandecho.com. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  7. "English local elections postponed over coronavirus". BBC News. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  8. "Ward maps". Sunderland City Council. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  9. "Elected Members". Sunderland City Council. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.