2025 Durham County Council election


The 2025 Durham County Council election took place on 1 May 2025 to elect members to Durham County Council in County Durham, England. 98 seats were elected, a reduction from 126. This was on the same day as other local elections. The council was under no overall control prior to the election, being run by a Liberal Democrat-led coalition. The election saw Reform UK win a majority of the seats on the council.

Background

At the 2021 election, the Labour Party lost overall control of the council for the first time in a century. Although Labour were the largest party after the 2021 election, a coalition of the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, Derwentside Independents, Green Party and some of the independent councillors formed to run the council between 2021 and 2025, led by Liberal Democrat councillor Amanda Hopgood.
New division boundaries were drawn up to take effect for the 2025 election, reducing the number of seats on the council from 126 to 98.
In March 2025, a poll from Electoral Calculus for The Daily Telegraph - of all English local authorities with elections in May 2025 - projected that Reform UK would win outright control of, and hold a majority of seats on, the council following the election.

Previous council composition

Changes 2021–2025

  • November 2021: Brian Avery dies – by-election held February 2022
  • January 2022: Mark Roberts dies – by-election held April 2022
  • February 2022: Curtis Bihari gains by-election from independent
  • April 2022: George Smith gains by-election from Conservatives
  • May 2022: Karen Hawley and Diane Howarth leave party to sit as independents
  • February 2023: Beatrice Bainbridge dies – by-election held May 2023
  • May 2023: Julie Scurfield gains by-election from Conservatives
  • September 2023: Leanne Kennedy dies – by-election held November 2023
  • November 2023: June Watson wins by-election
  • February 2024: Isabella Roberts dies – by-election held May 2024
  • May 2024: June Clark wins by-election; Maura McKeon resigns – by-election held July 2024; Michael McGaun leaves party to sit as an independent
  • June 2024: Angela Hanson and Sam McMahon leave party to sit as independents
  • July 2024: Viv Anderson wins by-election
  • November 2024: Neville Jones leaves party to sit as an independent
  • December 2024: Robert Potts joins Reform UK
  • January 2025: Joanne Howey and Cathy Hunt leave party to sit as independents; Paul Taylor leaves party to sit as an independent
  • February 2025: Fraser Tinsley resigns – seat left vacant until 2025 election; Joe Quinn and Cathy Hunt join Reform UK
  • March 2025: Michael McGaun joins Reform UK
  • Stephen Robinson leaves party to sit as an independent
  • April 2025: Mamie Simmons dies, seat left vacant until election.

Ward results

List of candidates

Blackhalls and Hesledens

Consett South

Elvet, Gilesgate and Shincliffe

Lumley and West Rainton

Seaham

Upper Teesdale

Aftermath

Just nine days the election, Reform UK councillor Andrew Kilburn, who was elected in Benfieldside, resigned after it emerged he did not inform the party that he had previously worked for the council, the resulting by-election was won by the Liberal Democrats.
On the 14th of May 2025, independent councillor for Chester-le-Street, Paul Sexton, defected to Reform UK.
The leader of the Reform UK group on the council prior to the election had been Robert Potts. Following the election, Reform UK chose Andrew Husband to be their new group leader. He was formally appointed as the new leader of the council at the subsequent annual council meeting on 21 May 2025.
On the 9th of June 2025, Reform UK Councillor for Easington and Shotton, John Bailey, announced his resignation due to ill health, the resulting by-election resulted in a Reform UK hold
On the 19th of August 2025, Reform UK Councillor for Crook, Paul Bean was suspended by the party over reported comments he had made about asylum seekers, breaching Civil Service impartiality rules, due to his job assessing asylum seeker's claims.
On the 8th of January 2026, it was reported that David Cumming, councillor for Murton, resigned due to gaining employment abroad, triggering a by-election in his ward.