RECAP: How election night unfolded in Sunderland as Labour claimed victories, Lib Dems became majority opposition and Conservatives took a hit
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Labour strengthened its control of the council, gaining seats, and the Liberal Democracts became the majority opposition group, with the Tories suffering at the polls - and from defections in the run-up to the election.
A total of 24 seats were decided - one in each ward of the city, bar Hendon, where the election was postponed due to the sad death of one of the candidates.
RECAP: Sunderland City Council elections 2023
Key Events
- Labour strengthened its control of the council on election night
- The Lib Dems have become the majority opposition party
- Sunderland Conservatives suffered losses from defections and election defeats
Voters are going to the polls
Polling stations are open in a variety of locations in Sunderland
Photo ID at polling stations
The UK Government has introduced a requirement for voters to show photo ID when voting at a polling station at some elections, including this year’s council elections.
Acceptible forms of ID include:
• Passport
• Driving licence (including provisional license)
• Blue badge
• Certain concessionary travel cards
• Identity card with PASS mark (Proof of Age Standards Scheme)
• Biometric Immigration document
• Defence identity card
• Certain national identity cards
For more information on which forms of photo ID will be accepted, visit electoralcommission.org.uk/voterID or call their helpline on 0800 328 0280.
Voters without ID can apply for a ‘Voter Idenditifation Certificate’ at voter-authority-certificate.service.gov.uk, though the deadline has now passed for this year.
Election postponed in Hendon after candidate dies
Syed Ali, a city resident, businessman and family man, was chosen to stand in the Hendon ward for the Conservatives in the election.
Sadly, he passed away on April 19, with tributes from both party colleagues and political rivals paying tribute to ‘a lovely man who cared passionately about Hendon’.
The Echo understands that he was 67 or 68 and that he passed away on Wednesday, April 19.
Under election law, it is anticipated that the poll for the vacant seat will be postponed until a later date.
Current council make-up
In recent years Labour has lost large numbers of seats locally, including losing around 10 councillors in 2019 and nine in 2021, but last year’s elections saw the trend slow significantly, with the ruling party only losing one seat.
Sunderland City Council is currently made up of 43 Labour councillors, 15 Conservative councillors, 14 Liberal Democrats, two independents and one Reform UK member.
The new make-up follows a number of high-profile defections from the Sunderland Conservatives earlier this year.
This included Conservative Washington South councillor Paul Donaghy joining Reform UK in January and Conservative Ryhope councillor Usman Ali joining Labour in March.
Conservative councillor for Barnes, Helen Greener, also defected to become an independent in January but is not planning on standing for re-election this year.
Making your mind up
If you haven’t voted yet and still can’t make your mind up, you can find out more about the candidates in your ward by clicking on the relevant link below:
Seats up for election
Of the 24 seats up for election this week, 13 are held by Labour with several sitting councillors defending seats and new candidates standing in some wards following the retirement of veteran councillors.
Sunderland Conservatives are looking to maintain control of seats in Barnes, Fulwell, St Anne’s, St Chad’s, St Michael’s and St Peter’s while targeting other seats across the city.
Meanwhile, the Wearside Liberal Democrats are defending seats in Doxford, Millfield, Pallion and Sandhill and also hope to boost their numbers.
The Green Party, which currently has no representatives on the city council, has stood candidates in every ward this year.
Elsewhere, the emergence of Reform UK on Wearside is expected to have an impact on the share of votes across the city, especially in marginal wards.
The political party, which was founded as the Brexit Party and later rebranded as Reform UK, is standing 24 candidates across the city.
Independent candidates will also be standing in Copt Hill, Hetton, Houghton and Shiney Row, as well as a candidate from the Communist Party of Britain in Millfield and Official Monster Raving Loony Party in Fulwell.
Lib Dems looking to beat Tories into third place
It is expected that the Labour Party will maintain control of the council this year, but one big change we could see is from the Liberal Democrats, who are hoping to overtake the Conservatives as the main opposition party on the council.
Some key contests this year could see opposition parties displace each other, or Labour gaining a foothold in previously opposition-controlled wards.
Seats to watch tonight
Fulwell
In Fulwell ward the Sunderland Conservatives will be looking to defend a seat formerly held by deputy group leader councillor James Doyle.
However the Liberal Democrats, who won in Fulwell ward last year with a 939-vote majority over the Conservatives, are hoping to repeat this success.
Washington South
The Labour Party will also be looking to defend the Washington South ward following the retirement of long-standing councillor and cabinet member Louise Farthing.
While Washington is mainly occupied by Labour councillors, the Sunderland Conservatives made a gain in 2021 with the election of Cllr Paul Donaghy.
Following Cllr Donaghy’s defection from the party, the ward is set to be a key battleground between Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Reform UK.
Ryhope
Another seat to watch is Ryhope, where independent councillor Steven Bewick is not seeking re-election this year.
The Labour Party currently controls two of the three seats in the ward after winning a seat in the 2022 elections and the defection of Conservative Cllr Usman Ali to Labour the following year.
As Labour only won its 2022 seat with a slim 28-vote majority over the Conservatives, the fight for Ryhope is looking to be a tight contest this year with five candidates in the running.
St Anne’s
St Anne’s ward is also a seat to watch, with one of its two Conservative-controlled seats being contested.
The Sunderland Conservatives last victory in the ward was in 2021, with a majority of just three votes over Labour, and Sunderland Labour went on to win in the ward the following year.
Councillor Pam Mann, who was elected as a UKIP councillor in 2019 before defecting to the Conservatives in 2021, is looking to defend her seat this year.
St Anne’s is the only ward in the city where Reform UK have not stood a candidate, leaving a four-way contest between Labour, Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and the Green Party.
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