How Reform UK aim to deliver 'real change' for residents after Sunderland City Council elections win
Leading figures from Reform UK have promised to deliver “real change” for residents after taking control of Sunderland City Council.
The party made huge gains from Labour – which had run the council since its creation in 1974 – and saw Reform UK go from no councillors on the local authority to 58 once all 25 wards were declared.
Although he was unsuccessful as Reform UK’s candidate in the 2024 North East Mayoral elections, and lost his council seat in Washington South the same year, he was elected on Friday to the Washington North ward.
Speaking during the count, he said that people had “demanded change and wanted something different”.
Cllr Donaghy added: “We have spoken and promised to deliver real change for Sunderland, Washington and in Houghton.
“People have put their trust in us to deliver that change and we will not let you down.
“We’re going to hit the road as hard as we possibly can and deliver the best for the people of Sunderland.”
Chris Eynon, chair of Sunderland Central Reform, was elected to the Redhouse ward and said it had been an “absolute carnage” result for the Labour Party.
Cllr Eynon dismissed claims from Labour that Reform would put the city’s future and regeneration projects at risk and stressed the party had a plan for the city based around putting “Wearside first”.
He added that the “election was a referendum on Starmer” and that the turnout showed that people “have had enough of Labour” and that residents were “turning out who have never voted”.
“Leadership wise, unlike Labour, we’re democratic and will choose our leader amongst our councillor group and whoever that is will have the support of the full party,” Mr Eynon added.
“I think deprivation is a big issue without a doubt and in a lot of areas, I’m in Redhouse, people say it feels like it’s left behind and that Labour have taken their votes for granted.
“I have noticed in a lot of our wards some of the media say that Reform is just after ex-Tory voters. Nonsense, in the areas we’re having our strongest results today, they have been ex-Labour areas, not Tory ones.”
While Labour and Conservatives saw major losses, the Wearside Liberal Democrats finished the election with 12 councillors and will remain the official opposition group on the council.
Councillor Paul Edgeworth, leader of the Wearside Liberal Democrats, welcomed the results for his party.
“I think people really respect their Lib Dem councillors, we put the work in, we represent the residents, we don’t just talk about national issues or blame other parties, we just get stuck in,” he said.
“We get things done for our residents and they clearly respect that and that’s been shown in the results tonight.
“Where we have been best placed to give Labour a kicking people have backed us, where we have been best placed to stop Reform people have backed us.
“We’re a centrist common sense party who put the work in on the ground and people seem to like that.”
As the party’s official opposition, Cllr Edgeworth also pledged to hold the new ruling Reform UK administration to account.
He added: “It’s good to have more parties on the council, we know how to oppose Labour and have opposed them for years.
“I think Reform are pretty soon going to fall into the same trap of complacency and arrogance with such a big majority.
“We will be holding their feet to the fire and making sure that instead of just doing whatever Nigel Farage and party HQ tell them, that they’re delivering for Sunderland on the things that matter.
“This includes cleaner streets, potholes, CCTV and making people feel safe in our towns, suburbs and estates and not just focusing on the city centre, like Labour did.”
The council’s Labour Group, which previously controlled around 50 seats, finished the count with just five councillors remaining, after taking all three seats in Barnes and Thornhill ward and two seats in Washington West.
Council leader Michael Mordey, deputy council leader Kelly Chequer, and the entire Labour cabinet of senior councillors, were among those who lost their seats.
The Sunderland Conservatives, who had nine councillors before the election, were completely wiped out, with group leader Antony Mullen among those losing their seats.
The Green Party, which recently welcomed former Labour councillor Fiona Miller before the local elections, also failed to win a single seat across the city.
The three independent candidates standing, including two former Labour councillors, were not elected either.
Labour locally have still to comment on the results.
The council’s overall make-up is now 58 Reform UK, 12 Liberal Democrats and five Labour.
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.