Durham City Council elections

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.

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 1973 until its abolition in 2009 was held by the following parties:[5]

Party in control		Years
	Labour	1973–1979
	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:[6]

Councillor	Party		From	To
Sue Pitts[7]		Liberal Democrats	2003	2004
Fraser Reynolds		Liberal Democrats	2004	31 Mar 2009

Council elections

Election	Labour	Liberal Democrat[a]	Conservative	Independent	Total	Notes
1973[8]	40	7	0	14	61
1976[9]	34	10	0	17[b]	61
1979[10]	24	7	4	14	49	New ward boundaries[11]
1983[12]	27	9[c]	2	11[d]	49
1987[13]	26	14[e]	0	9[f]	49	City boundary changes took place but the number of seats remained the same[14][15]
1991[16]	28	15	0	6	49
1995[17]	38	7	0	4	49	City boundary changes took place but the number of seats remained the same[18][19]
1999[20]	33	13	0	3	49
2003[21]	17	30	0	3	50	New ward boundaries[22]
2007[23]	17	30	0	3	50

Results maps

• 
  2003 results map
• 
  2007 results map

By-election results

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

1995-1999

Deerness By-Election 22 May 1997

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour		561	64.2
	Independent		259	29.6
	Liberal Democrats		54	6.2
Majority			302	34.6
Turnout			874	31.0
	Labour hold		Swing

1999-2003

Pelaw By-Election 12 December 2002

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour		239	51.7	−20.9
	Liberal Democrats		223	48.3	+20.9
Majority			16	3.4
Turnout			462	29.0
	Labour hold		Swing

2003-2007

Brandon By-Election 11 December 2003

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour		645	59.5	−8.6
	Liberal Democrats		396	36.5	+4.6
	Conservative		43	4.0	+4.0
Majority			249	23.0
Turnout			1,084	23.4
	Labour hold		Swing

Belmont By-Election 16 December 2004

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats		364	46.1	−4.5
	Independent		244	30.9	+1.6
	Labour		119	15.1	+0.1
	Conservative		63	8.0	+2.9
Majority			120	15.2
Turnout			790	26.4
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Newton Hall North By-Election 3 February 2005

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Amanda Hopgood	740	70.7	−9.4
	Labour		180	17.2	−2.7
	Conservative		65	6.2	+6.2
	Independent		62	5.9	+5.9
Majority			560	53.5
Turnout			1,047	39.0
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Carrville and Gilesgate Moor By-Election 5 May 2005

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Les Thomson	1,618	54.1
	Labour		1,141	38.2
	Conservative		229	7.7
Majority			477	53.5
Turnout			2,988	69.5
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Coxhoe By-Election 5 May 2005

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Hepplewhite	1,947	69.3
	Liberal Democrats		640	22.8
	Conservative		221	7.9
Majority			1,307	46.5
Turnout			2,808	64.6
	Labour hold		Swing

Shadforth & Sherburn By-Election 6 April 2006

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Brian Colledge	658	48.7	−5.1
	Labour	Angela Leary	625	46.3	+15.2
	Conservative	Carolyn Smith	67	5.0	+5.0
Majority			33	2.4
Turnout			1,350	35.1
	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. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
6. "Council minutes". Durham County Council. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
7. "Cancer news forces civic leader to resign". Northern Echo. 5 November 2004. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
8. "Final poll result may lie with Independents". The Times. 8 June 1973.
9. "Heavy Labour losses in district polls". The Times. 8 May 1976.
10. Local elections in Britain: a statistical digest, edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher. 1993
11. The City of Durham (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1978
12. "How votes were cast in local government elections". The Times. 7 May 1983. p. 4.
13. "Results in Thursday's local elections". The Times. 9 May 1987.
14. The Durham and Easington (Areas) Order 1985
15. The Durham (District Boundaries) Order 1986
16. "Complete round-up of results from Thursday's local council elections". The Times. 4 May 1991.
17. "Complete list of results from Thursday's council elections". The Times. 6 May 1995. p. 10.
18. legislation.gov.uk - The Durham and Tyne and Wear (County and District Boundaries) Order 1992. Retrieved on 5 November 2015.
19. legislation.gov.uk - The Durham and Tyne and Wear (County and District Boundaries) (Variation) Order 1993. Retrieved on 5 November 2015.
20. "Durham City". BBC News. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
21. "Durham City". BBC News. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
22. legislation.gov.uk - The City of Durham (Electoral Changes) Order 1999. Retrieved on 4 October 2015.
23. "Durham". BBC News. 5 May 2007. Retrieved 12 April 2013.