All you need to know about Sunderland City Council's local elections

Polling stations will be open until 10pm today, and all 75 seats on Sunderland City Council are up for grabs - three in each of the city’s 25 wards.

The landmark “all out” elections follow changes to ward boundaries by the Local Government Boundary Commission, with councillors due to be elected to wards with new names.

The 371 candidates standing will find out if they are successful when the results come through tomorrow (Friday), with the final declarations expected to be announced in the late afternoon.

Heading into the elections the council is made up of 49 Labour councillors, 12 Liberal Democrats, nine Conservatives, one Green Party member and three independents.

There is also a vacancy in the Washington West ward following the death of Labour councillor and former Mayor of Sunderland Dorothy Trueman last year.

The local authority is currently led by a Labour administration, as it has been since Sunderland City Council’s formation in 1974.

Labour, Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Reform UK will all be standing 75 candidates each, with three candidates in each of the city’s 25 wards, and Green Party and independent candidates are also standing.

Michael Mordey, the local authority’s Labour leader since May 2024, Kelly Chequer, deputy council leader, and other cabinet members are just some of the key figures standing in the election.

The ruling Labour Group is looking to retain seats in areas it has historically controlled across the city as well as taking on emerging and existing opposition parties in newly-drawn electoral wards.

The Wearside Liberal Democrats, the official opposition group on the council, are looking to retain existing councillors and to expand their numbers across new city wards.

The Sunderland Conservatives will also be looking to hold on to existing councillors and contest new city wards and have pledged to scrutinise whoever is in power following the results on May 8.

The Green Party, which recently welcomed former Labour councillor Fiona Miller, will be standing candidates in more than 60 seats and are not standing any candidates in two city wards, Grindon and Thorney Close and Hylton Castle.

Reform UK currently has no elected councillors on the local authority after Hetton ward representative Ian McKinley quit the party to sit as an independent shortly after winning a by-election last year.

However, Reform UK hopes to make large gains across Sunderland, Washington and the Coalfields with ambitions to take overall control of the city council.

There are also two former Labour councillors standing as independents in Pallion & Ford ward and Southwick ward and a third independent is standing in Redhouse ward.

With all 75 seats on the local authority up for election, it means any party has the ability to take control of the council if they secure an overall majority.

If there is no overall majority and the council is left in “no overall control”, cross-party talks would then be held over potential agreements and coalitions.

The council is expected to hold its annual general meeting later in May where it will be confirmed who takes up the leadership positions for the coming year.

Follow our online election coverage at www.sunderlandecho.com