Durham County Council elections

Elections to Durham County Council are held every four years. The council was created as part of the 1972 local government reforms. The first elections to the new authority were held in 1973 in advance of the council taking office in 1974. As part of changes to local government in 2009, the council became a unitary authority with the first elections to the new council taking place in 2008. Since becoming a unitary authority, 126 councillors have been elected from 63 wards.[1]

Political control

Since 1973 political control of the council has been held by the following parties:[2][3]

ControlDates
Labour 1973 present

County council elections

ElectionLabourLiberal Democrat[lower-alpha 1]ConservativeIndependent Total
1973[4]5662772[5]
1977[6]417141072
1981[7]5367672
1985[8]507[lower-alpha 2]510[lower-alpha 3]72
1989[9]5657472
1993[10]5666472
1997[11]5322461
2001[12]5342261
2005[13]5352363
2008[14]67271022126
2013[15]949419126

County result maps

District council elections

Prior to the formation of the unitary authority in 2009, the county was divided into a number of second tier districts. The following articles detail the local elections to those district councils. The Borough of Darlington has formed a unitary authority outside the area covered by the County Council since 1997.

By-election results

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

1997-2008

Bishop Auckland Town By-Election 30 March 2000
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrat 689 42.9 +1.2
Labour 601 37.4 -21.0
Conservative 318 19.8 +19.8
Majority 88 5.5
Turnout 1,608 22.5
Liberal Democrat gain from Labour Swing
Burnopfield and Dipton By-Election 28 November 2002[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Reginald Ord 519 37.2 +2.2
Labour 500 35.8 -18.3
Liberal Democrat 322 23.1 +23.1
Conservative 54 3.9 -7.1
Majority 19 1.4
Turnout 1,395 22.0
Independent gain from Labour Swing
Stanley By-Election 17 July 2003
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Leslie Vaux 1,702 56.1 -20.6
Liberal Democrat David Rolfe 566 18.7 +4.3
BNP Dean McAdam 509 16.8 +16.8
Conservative Stuart Tilney 256 8.4 -0.5
Majority 1,136 37.4
Turnout 3,033 46.4
Labour hold Swing
Woodhouse Close By-Election 26 February 2004
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Lethbridge 1,538 66.3 -2.0
Liberal Democrat Jody Dunn 782 33.7 +9.6
Majority 756 32.6
Turnout 2,320 43.7
Labour hold Swing
Durham South By-Election 26 January 2006[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Abiodun Williams 834 51.6 +4.8
Liberal Democrat Isobell Lunan 561 34.7 -9.1
Conservative Michael Fishwick 220 13.6 +4.2
Majority 273 16.9
Turnout 1,615 34.0
Labour hold Swing
Framwellgate Moor By-Election 8 June 2006[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Burlison 1,187 43.4 -5.5
Liberal Democrat Redvers Crooks 1,037 37.9 -2.9
Independent Ian Rutland 267 9.8 +9.8
Conservative Patricia Wynne 245 9.0 -1.4
Majority 150 5.5
Turnout 2,737 37.1
Labour hold Swing
Dawden By-Election 19 October 2006[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Edwin Mason 775 84.0 +4.3
Conservative Lucille Nicholson 148 16.0 -4.3
Majority 627 68.0
Turnout 923 18.7
Labour hold Swing
Ouston and Urpeth By-Election 30 November 2006[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Colin Carr 665 57.7 -2.8
Liberal Democrat Sean Kilkenny 487 42.3 +19.2
Majority 178 15.4
Turnout 1,152 18.6
Labour hold Swing

2008-2012

Barnard Castle East By-Election 4 June 2009[21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Rowlandson 1,263 46.9 +4.2
Independent Anthony Cooke 634 23.5 -20.0
Liberal Democrat Michael Newlands 479 17.8 +17.8
Labour Sharon Longcroft 319 11.8 -1.9
Majority 629 23.4
Turnout 2,695 38.9
Conservative hold Swing
Easington By-Election 11 February 2010[22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alan Barker 702 55.8 -8.3
Independent Terry Murray 311 24.7 +24.7
Liberal Democrat Carole Harrison 126 10.0 -25.9
Conservative Mergaret Reid 120 9.5 +9.5
Majority 391 31.1
Turnout 1,259 20.9
Labour hold Swing

2012-2016

Crook Division by-election, 7 November 2013[23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Wear Valley Independent Group John Bailey 360 19.6
Conservative Beaty Bainbridge 54 2.9
Liberal Democrat David English 145 7.9
Independent Ian Hirst 496 27.0
Labour Andrea Patterson 741 40.3
Green Joanne Yelland 41 2.2
Majority 245 13.3
Turnout 1837 18.6

Notes

  1. Liberal Party prior to 1981, SDP-Liberal Alliance in 1983, Social and Liberal Democrats in 1989
  2. 3 Liberal, 4 SDP
  3. Includes five of other parties

References

  1. "Councillors - general information". Durham County Council. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  2. "Durham". BBC News Online. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  3. "Local election results: Durham". BBC News Online. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  4. "Labour take over metropolitan counties and 11 other councils.". The Times. 14 April 1973. p. 3.
  5. Including one seat vacant after election
  6. "Conservatives triumphant in Greater London and Metropolitan counties.". The Times. 6 May 1977. p. 4.
  7. "GLC results in full: big Labour gains in the counties.". The Times. 8 May 1981. p. 4.
  8. "County Council elections.". The Times. 3 May 1985. p. 5.
  9. "County council election results.". The Times. 5 May 1989. p. 5.
  10. "Results.". The Times. 7 May 1993. p. 9.
  11. "County Councils.". The Times. 3 May 1997. p. 10.
  12. "Durham". BBC News. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  13. "Durham". BBC News. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  14. "Durham". BBC News. 2 May 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  15. "Results for Durham". BBC News. 3 May 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  16. "Lib Dem win follows family tradition". London: guardian.co.uk. 29 November 2002. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  17. "Lib Dems fail in key bylelection". London: guardian.co.uk. 27 January 2006. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  18. "Burlison retains seat for Labour". The Journal. 10 June 2006. p. 35.
  19. "Mixed results for Tories in council byelections". London: guardian.co.uk. 20 October 2006. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  20. "News in brief". The Northern Echo. 2 December 2006. p. 15.
  21. "Declaration of result of poll" (PDF). Durham County Council. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  22. "Labour maintains majority on Durham County Council with Easington victory". The Northern Echo. 12 February 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  23. http://content.durham.gov.uk/PDFRepository/DeclarationofresultsCrook.pdf

External links

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