The 2026 Sunderland City Council election was held on 7 May 2026, alongside the other local elections across the United Kingdom which were held on the same day. All 75 members of Sunderland City Council were elected. Boundary changes were made for these elections.

Prior to the election, the council was under Labour majority control, as it had been for over 50 years. At the election, Reform UK, which held no seats prior to the election, won 58 of the 75 seats giving them overall control with a significant majority. Labour went from holding 49 seats prior to the election to having just five seats; the incumbent Labour leader of the council, Michael Mordey, lost his seat. The Conservatives lost all their seats. The Liberal Democrats won 12 seats, making them the largest opposition party. After the election, Reform chose Chris Eynon to be its new group leader. He was formally appointed as the new leader of the council at the subsequent annual council meeting on 20 May 2026.

Background Before the election Labour was the largest party with Liberal Democrats forming the official opposition after overtaking the Conservatives at the 2023 and 2024 elections. Since the last election two councillors defected from both Labour and the Conservatives to sit as Independents.

In November 2025 Reform UK won their first seat on the council with a 35% swing in the Hetton ward by-election, however their councillor resigned from the party after just 76 days and sat as an independent. There was speculation that Reform would take control of the council like it had the year before in County Durham.

In March 2026, Fiona Miller a Labour councillor first elected in 2011 defected to the Green Party. Her husband Graeme Miller was council leader for Labour between 2018 and 2024 before he was removed by Labour's National Executive Committee.

Election results

Ward results An asterisk next to a candidate's name denotes an incumbent councillor. Each ward elected three candidates, the candidate with the highest number of votes received a four year term until 2030, the candidate with the second highest number of votes received a two year term until May 2028, and the candidate with the third highest number of votes received a one year term until May 2027.

Barnes and Thornhill

Deptford and Hendon

Doxford Park

Farringdon and Silksworth

Fulwell

Grangetown

Grindon and Thorney Close

Herrington and Newbottle

Hetton

Houghton North

Houghton South and Hetton Downs

Hylton Castle

Pallion and Ford

Pennywell and South Hylton

Penshaw and Shiney Row

Redhouse

Roker

Ryhope

Southwick

Tunstall and Humbledon

Washington Central

Washington East

Washington North

Washington South

Washington West

References