The 2025 Durham County Council election took place on 1 May 2025 to elect members to Durham County Council in County Durham, England. 98 seats were elected, a reduction from 126. This was on the same day as other local elections. The council was under no overall control prior to the election, being run by a Liberal Democrat-led coalition. The election saw Reform UK win a majority of the seats on the council.

Background At the 2021 election, the Labour Party lost overall control of the council for the first time in a century. Although Labour were the largest party after the 2021 election, a coalition of the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, Derwentside Independents, Green Party and some of the independent councillors formed to run the council between 2021 and 2025, led by Liberal Democrat councillor Amanda Hopgood.

New division boundaries were drawn up to take effect for the 2025 election, reducing the number of seats on the council from 126 to 98.

In March 2025, a poll from Electoral Calculus for The Daily Telegraph - of all English local authorities with elections in May 2025 - projected that Reform UK would win outright control of, and hold a majority of seats on, the council following the election.

Previous council composition After 2021 election Before 2025 election Party Seats Party Seats 53 52 24 17 17 15 5 4 0 4 4 2 1 1 22 29 Vacant N/A Vacant 2

Opinion polls

Seat projections

Date(s)conductedPollsterClientSamplesizeAreaLabConLDGrnRefOthers 1 – 10 Mar 2025 Electoral Calculus Daily Telegraph5,421GB154907006 May 20212021 local elections––5324171031

Results summary

Ward results List of candidates

Annfield Plain and Tanfield

Aycliffe North and Middridge

Aycliffe South

Barnard Castle

Belmont

Benfieldside

Bishop Auckland

Blackhalls and Hesledens

Bowburn and Coxhoe

Brandon

Castle Eden and Passfield

Chester-le-Street North

Chester-le-Street South

Chilton

Consett North

Consett South

Craghead and South Moor

Crook

Dalton and Dawdon

Deerness

Delves Lane

Derwent and Pont Valley

Easington and Shotton

Elvet, Gilesgate and Shincliffe

Evenwood

Ferryhill

Framwellgate and Newton Hall

Horden and Dene House

Lanchester and Burnhope

Langley and Esh

Lower Teesdale

Lumley and West Rainton

Murton

Nevilles Cross

North Lodge

Pelton

Peterlee

Pittington and Sherburn

Sacriston and Witton Gilbert

Seaham

Sedgefield

Shildon and Dene Valley

Spennymoor

Stanley

Thornley and Wheatley Hill

Trimdon and Wingate

Tudhoe

Upper Teesdale

Weardale

West Auckland

Willington and Hunwick

Changes 2025–2029 Just nine days the election, Reform UK councillor Andrew Kilburn, who was elected in Benfieldside, resigned after it emerged he did not inform the party that he had previously worked for the council, the resulting by-election was won by the Liberal Democrats. On the 14th of May 2025, independent councillor for Chester-le-Street, Paul Sexton, defected to Reform UK. The leader of the Reform UK group on the council prior to the election had been Robert Potts. Following the election, Reform UK chose Andrew Husband to be their new group leader. He was formally appointed as the new leader of the council at the subsequent annual council meeting on 21 May 2025. On the 9th of June 2025, Reform UK Councillor for Easington and Shotton, John Bailey, announced his resignation due to ill health, the resulting by-election resulted in a Reform UK hold On the 19th of August 2025, Reform UK Councillor for Crook, Paul Bean was suspended by the party over reported comments he had made about asylum seekers, breaching Civil Service impartiality rules, due to his job assessing asylum seeker's claims. On the 16th of January 2026 it was announced that he had joined Advance UK. In September 2025, Jack McGlenen, a councillor for Dalton and Dawdon, was expelled from Reform UK following a disciplinary process over allegations of public intoxication, offensive behaviour towards hospitality workers and derogatory comments about the party at an Armed Forces Day event in Seaham on 28 June 2025; he continued to sit as an independent. On the 8th of January 2026, it was reported that David Cumming, councillor for Murton, resigned due to gaining employment abroad, triggering a by-election in his ward. On the 10th of February 2026 Michael Ramage, a councillor for Shildon and Dene Valley became an independent. This followed not having attended 4 Council Meetings. On 13 February 2026, West Auckland councillor Nick Brown resigned from Reform UK, citing bullying by the party's local leadership and a failure to deliver on its election promises, including the cancellation of the long-promised Toft Hill Bypass; he continued to sit as an independent. In April 2026, Dawn Saunders, a councillor for Peterlee, left Reform UK to sit as an ungrouped independent, before returning to the party within weeks. In May 2026, Kate Rowland, a Reform UK councillor for Shildon and Dene Valley, resigned from the party to sit as an independent. On 11 May 2026, Reform UK councillors Andrew Harrison (Seaham) and Kenny Hope (Delves Lane) were suspended from the party pending investigation; Harrison's suspension followed a £40,000 fine received by his company for employing an illegal worker. Both men resigned from the party on 15 May 2026 to sit as independents, citing a breakdown in their relationship with the local Reform leadership. In June 2026, Jasmine Fox, a councillor for Lower Teesdale, left Reform UK to sit as an independent, saying serving as an independent was "the best way for me to represent the residents who elected me." On 20 August 2026, Sedgefield councillor Ian Catchpole resigned from Reform UK to sit as an independent, accusing the party's local leadership of "blatant disregard" for mental health; a Reform spokesperson said the resignation came amid an internal review into the unauthorised disclosure of private group material, with the whip having already been removed pending its outcome. It was reported on 31 August 2026 that Jack McGlenen, who had been sitting as an independent since his expulsion from Reform UK, had joined the Social Democratic Party. On 16 September 2026, three Reform UK councillors — Lyndsey Fox (Bishop Auckland), Nicole Brown (Aycliffe South) and Paul Sexton (Chester-le-Street), who had defected to Reform in May 2025 — resigned from the party to sit as independents. Fox said she had reported a "very serious safeguarding issue" to the party on 14 July 2026 and had "heard nothing" since; council leader Andrew Husband said the three had "conned" voters and "betrayed" the party and its supporters.

As a result of these by-election losses, defections and resignations, by 17 September 2026 Reform UK's representation on the council had fallen from 65 to 51 seats, while the Labour Party and Liberal Democrats had each gained a seat through the Murton and Benfieldside by-elections respectively (rising to 5 and 15 seats), independents had risen to 22, and the Advance UK and Social Democratic Party groups had each gained their first seat on the council; Conservative and Green Party representation remained unchanged at one and two seats respectively.

Benfieldside by-election

The Benfieldside by-election was triggered by the resignation of Reform UK councillor Andrew Kilburn, who was required to stand down nine days after his election after failing to declare to the returning officer that he was employed by the council; national legislation bars council employees from serving as councillors at the same time.

Easington & Shotton by-election

The Easington & Shotton by-election was triggered by the resignation of Reform UK councillor John Bailey, who stood down due to ill health.

Murton by-election

The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Reform councillor David Cumming, who stood down after gaining employment abroad.

References

See also

Durham County Council elections