Durham City Council elections

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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.

Contents

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 controlYears
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:

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Maurice Crathorne [6] Labour May 2003
Sue Pitts [7] [8] Liberal Democrats 20 May 20032004
Fraser Reynolds [8] [9] Liberal Democrats 20042009

Council elections

ElectionLabourLiberal Democrat [a] ConservativeIndependentTotalNotes
1973 [10] 40701461
1976 [11] 3410017 [b] 61
1979 [12] 24741449New ward boundaries [13]
1983 [14] 279 [c] 211 [d] 49
1987 [15] 2614 [e] 09 [f] 49City boundary changes took place but the number of seats remained the same [16] [17]
1991 [18] 28150649
1995 [19] 3870449City boundary changes took place but the number of seats remained the same [20] [21]
1999 [22] 33130349
2003 [23] 17300350New ward boundaries [24]
2007 [25] 17300350

Results maps

By-election results

The following is an incomplete list of by-elections to Durham City Council.

1995-1999

Deerness By-Election 22 May 1997
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour 56164.2
Independent 25929.6
Liberal Democrats 546.2
Majority 30234.6
Turnout 87431.0
Labour hold Swing

1999-2003

Pelaw By-Election 12 December 2002
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour 23951.7−20.9
Liberal Democrats 22348.3+20.9
Majority 163.4
Turnout 46229.0
Labour hold Swing

2003-2007

Brandon By-Election 11 December 2003
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour 64559.5−8.6
Liberal Democrats 39636.5+4.6
Conservative 434.0+4.0
Majority 24923.0
Turnout 1,08423.4
Labour hold Swing
Belmont By-Election 16 December 2004
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats 36446.1−4.5
Independent 24430.9+1.6
Labour 11915.1+0.1
Conservative 638.0+2.9
Majority 12015.2
Turnout 79026.4
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Newton Hall North By-Election 3 February 2005
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Amanda Hopgood74070.7−9.4
Labour 18017.2−2.7
Conservative 656.2+6.2
Independent 625.9+5.9
Majority 56053.5
Turnout 1,04739.0
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Carrville and Gilesgate Moor By-Election 5 May 2005
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Les Thomson1,61854.1
Labour 1,14138.2
Conservative 2297.7
Majority 47753.5
Turnout 2,98869.5
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Coxhoe By-Election 5 May 2005
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour John Hepplewhite1,94769.3
Liberal Democrats 64022.8
Conservative 2217.9
Majority 1,30746.5
Turnout 2,80864.6
Labour hold Swing
Shadforth & Sherburn By-Election 6 April 2006
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Brian Colledge65848.7−5.1
Labour Angela Leary62546.3+15.2
Conservative Carolyn Smith675.0+5.0
Majority 332.4
Turnout 1,35035.1
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

Notes

  1. ↑ Liberal Party prior to 1983, SDP-Liberal Alliance in 1983 and 1987.
  2. ↑ Including one Independent Labour
  3. ↑ 5 Liberal, 4 SDP
  4. ↑ Including one Independent Labour
  5. ↑ 5 Liberal, 9 SDP
  6. ↑ Including three Independent Labour

References

  1. ↑ "Durham Municipal Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  2. ↑ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 July 2022
  3. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 13 August 2022
  4. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 13 August 2022
  5. ↑ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 21 May 2025. (Put "Durham" in search box to see specific results.)
  6. ↑ "Leader defends record". Northern Echo. 8 May 2003. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  7. ↑ "Council leader stops contracts". Sunderland Echo. 3 May 2003. p. 3. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  8. 1 2 "Cancer news forces civic leader to resign". Northern Echo. 5 November 2004. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  9. ↑ "North-east housing development enters construction phase". Ushaw Moor Community Site. 13 January 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  10. ↑ "Final poll result may lie with Independents". The Times . 8 June 1973.
  11. ↑ "Heavy Labour losses in district polls". The Times . 8 May 1976.
  12. ↑ Local elections in Britain: a statistical digest, edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher. 1993
  13. ↑ The City of Durham (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1978
  14. ↑ "How votes were cast in local government elections". The Times . 7 May 1983. p. 4.
  15. ↑ "Results in Thursday's local elections". The Times . 9 May 1987.
  16. ↑ The Durham and Easington (Areas) Order 1985
  17. ↑ The Durham (District Boundaries) Order 1986
  18. ↑ "Complete round-up of results from Thursday's local council elections". The Times . 4 May 1991.
  19. ↑ "Complete list of results from Thursday's council elections". The Times . 6 May 1995. p. 10.
  20. ↑ legislation.gov.uk - The Durham and Tyne and Wear (County and District Boundaries) Order 1992. Retrieved on 5 November 2015.
  21. ↑ legislation.gov.uk - The Durham and Tyne and Wear (County and District Boundaries) (Variation) Order 1993. Retrieved on 5 November 2015.
  22. ↑ "Durham City". BBC News. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  23. ↑ "Durham City". BBC News. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  24. ↑ legislation.gov.uk - The City of Durham (Electoral Changes) Order 1999. Retrieved on 4 October 2015.
  25. ↑ "Durham". BBC News. 5 May 2007. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
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