Sunderland City Council is the local authority of Sunderland, a metropolitan borough with city status in the ceremonial county of Tyne and Wear in North East England. It is one of five such councils in Tyne and Wear and one of 36 in England. It provides the majority of local government services in Sunderland.
The council has been under Reform UK control since May 2026, having previously been under Labour majority control since the formation of the metropolitan borough in 1974. It is based at City Hall on Plater Way. The council is a member of the North East Combined Authority.
History The town of Sunderland was an ancient borough, having been given its first charter (as 'Wearmouth') in 1179. A subsequent charter of 1634 incorporated the town under the name of Sunderland, which had become the more commonly used name.
Sunderland was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which standardised how most boroughs operated across the country. It was then governed by a body formally called the "mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Sunderland", generally known as the corporation or town council. When elected county councils were established in 1889, Sunderland was considered large enough for its existing council to provide county-level services, and so it was made a county borough, independent from the new Durham County Council. The borough boundaries were enlarged on several occasions.
In 1974 the county borough was replaced by a larger metropolitan borough within the new county of Tyne and Wear. From 1974 until 1986 the borough council was a lower-tier district authority, with Tyne and Wear County Council providing county-level services. The county council was abolished in 1986, since when the borough council has again provided both district-level and county-level services, as it had done when it was a county borough prior to 1974. Some functions are provided across Tyne and Wear by joint committees with the other districts. The borough was awarded city status in 1992, allowing the council to change its name to Sunderland City Council.
Governance Since 1986 the council has provided both district-level and county-level functions, with some services being provided through joint arrangements with the other Tyne and Wear councils. In 2024 a combined authority was established covering Sunderland, County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Northumberland and South Tyneside, called the North East Combined Authority. It is chaired by the directly elected Mayor of the North East and oversees the delivery of certain strategic functions across the area.
There are civil parishes at Hetton, Burdon and Warden Law, of which only Hetton has a parish council. Parish councils form an additional tier of local government for their areas. Apart from the aforementioned areas, the rest of the borough is unparished. The ward boundaries of Hetton Town Council have also been modified. This comes as part of the larger review of Sunderland ward boundaries for the 2026 council election.
Political composition The council has been under Reform majority control since the 2026 election. Prior to that election it had been under Labour majority control since the formation of the modern council in 1974. While Labour's majority on the council had been consistent from its creation, the opposition party had traditionally been the Conservative Party before they fell behind the Liberal Democrats at recent elections. (Put "Sunderland" in search box to see specific results.)
Party in control Years 1974–2026 2026–present
Leadership The role of Mayor of Sunderland is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The first leader of the metropolitan borough council, Charles Slater, had been the last leader of the old Sunderland Town Council. As of its formation in May 2024, the leader of Sunderland City Council has sat on the cabinet of the North East Combined Authority. The leaders of the council since 1974 have been:
Councillor Party From To Charles Slater 1 April 1974 Nov 1990 Eric Bramfitt Dec 1990 Apr 1994 Bryn Sidaway May 1994 May 1999 Colin Anderson May 1999 May 2002 Bob Symonds May 2002 May 2008 Paul Watson 14 May 2008 Nov 2017 Harry Trueman 7 March 2018 16 May 2018 Graeme Miller 16 May 2018 20 May 2024 Michael Mordey 20 May 2024 May 2026 Chris Eynon 20 May 2026
Elections
Since the last changes to ward boundaries took effect in 2026, the council has comprised 75 councillors, representing 25 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four-year term of office. Wards and councillors Sunderland's 25 wards are each represented by three elected councillors, which at October 2026 were as follows:
+Current Sunderland City CouncillorsWardCouncillorsElected UntilBarnes and ThornhillEhthesham Haque2030Caroline Comer2028Fiona Tobin2027Deptford and HendonDavid Barker2030Marie Mccarthy2028Lynda Andrews2027Doxford ParkHeather Fagan2030Paul Gibson2028Michael Peacock2027Farringdon and SilksworthHelen Greener2030Ian Dury2028Robert Hutchinson2027FulwellMalcolm Bond2030Peter Walton2028Steve Pickering2027GrangetownDaniel Cowie2030Mark Wynn2028Colin Wright2027Grindon and Thorney ClosePaul Edgeworth2030Stephen O'Brien2028Meg Crosby2027Herrington and NewbottleBill Blackett2030Bruce Allcroft2028Jeffrey Shaw2027HettonAlan Davies2030Jason Lloyd2028Steven Paterson2027Houghton NorthSandra Hobson-Tate2030Joseph Parkin2028Donna Thomas2027Houghton South and Hetton DownsHeather Finlay2030Jonathon Emerson2028Michael Quigley2027Hylton CastleIan Jones2030David Laing2028Glenn Gibbins2027Pallion and FordMartin Haswell2030Steve Donkin2028Julia Potts2027Pennywell and South HyltonCarol Giles2030Russell Giles2028Julia Ann Irwing2027Penshaw and Shiney RowCarole Allcroft2030Abbey Purcell2028Axel Tye2027RedhouseShaun Conley2030Chris Eynon2028Ciera Hudspith2027RokerKirsty Alder2030Andrew Ramsey2028Thomas Steele2027RyhopeSharon Surtees2030Pamela Taylor2028James Jackson2027SouthwickMichael Leadbitter2030Jannine Morrow2028Jamie Scott2027Tunstall and HumbledonDavid Wales2030Richard Vardy2028Glenda Hall2027Washington CentralJoesph Phillips2030Janis Berzemnieks2028Saleem Memon2027Washington EastIan Hembrough2030Emily Lopez2028Anthony Ormond2027Washington NorthJason King2030Paul Donaghy2028Elizabeth Brown2027Washington SouthRobert Pattison2030Elouise Redmayne2028John Watson2027Washington WestBrandon Feeley2030Joanne Chapman2028Adrian Pickering2027
The next election is due in 2027.
Premises The council is based at City Hall on Plater Way, which was purpose-built for the council and opened in 2021. The new City Hall is located on the former premises of Vaux Breweries. The building is part of the larger development project on the Vaux Site and the regeneration project of Riverside Sunderland. The building was designed by FaulknerBrowns and constructed by Bowmer and Kirkland. City Hall is also used for community events and meetings in addition to being the base of council operations. The building has an area of 17,480 m².
Prior to the construction of the new City Hall, the council was based at the Civic Centre on Burdon Road, which had been built in 1970. The Civic Centre was demolished in 2022 and a new housing estate has been constructed in its place.
The Civic Centre in turn had replaced the old borough council's headquarters at the Town Hall on Fawcett Street which itself had been built in 1890 and was demolished shortly after the council moved to the Civic Centre.
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