Darlington Borough Council elections explained

Darlington Borough Council elections are held every four years. Darlington Borough Council is the local authority for the unitary authority of Darlington in County Durham, England. Until 1 April 1997 it was a non-metropolitan district.

Political control

!Labour!Conservatives!Liberal Democrats!Greens!Independent!Total

1973^[1]	28	8	8	0	5	49
1976^[2]	15	30	0	0	5	50
1979^[3]	29	14	1	0	8	52
1983^[4]	27	20	2	0	3	52
1987^[5]	24	24	0	0	4	52
1991^[6]	29	19	2	0	2	52
1995^[7]	35	14	2	0	1	52
1996^[8]	36	13	2	0	1	52
1999^[9]	35	15	2	0	0	52
2003^[10]	35	15	2	0	0	52
2007^[11]	29	18	6	0	0	53
2011^[12]	34	14	5	0	0	53
2015^[13]	29	17	3	0	1	50
2019^[14]	20	22	3	2	3	50
2023^[15]	25	14	3	7	1	50

From 1915 to 1974, Darlington was a county borough, independent of any county council.^[16] Under the Local Government Act 1972 it had its territory enlarged and became a non-metropolitan district, with Durham County Council providing county-level services.^{[17] [18] [19]} The first election to the reconstituted borough council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its revised powers on 1 April 1974. On 1 April 1997 the district became a unitary authority, regaining its independence from Durham County Council. Political control of the council since 1973 has been held by the following parties:^[20]

Non-metropolitan district

Party in control		Years
	1973–1976
	1976–1979
	1979–1987
	1987–1991
	1991–1997

Unitary authority

Party in control		Years
	1997–2019
	2019–present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1991 have been:^[21]

Councillor	Party		From	To
John Williams^[22]		1991	8 May 2011
Bill Dixon		19 May 2011	19 Jul 2018
Steve Harker		19 Jul 2018	23 May 2019
Heather Scott		23 May 2019	19 May 2022
Jonathan Dulston		19 May 2022	4 May 2023
Steve Harker		4 May 2023

Council elections

Non-metropolitan district elections

• 1973 Darlington Borough Council election
• 1976 Darlington Borough Council election (Borough boundary changes took place but the number of seats remained the same)^[23]
• 1979 Darlington Borough Council election (New ward boundaries)^[24]
• 1983 Darlington Borough Council election
• 1987 Darlington Borough Council election
• 1991 Darlington Borough Council election (Borough boundary changes took place but the number of seats remained the same)^[25]

Unitary authority elections

• 1996 Darlington Borough Council election
• 1999 Darlington Borough Council election
• 2003 Darlington Borough Council election (New ward boundaries)^[26]
• 2007 Darlington Borough Council election
• 2011 Darlington Borough Council election
• 2015 Darlington Borough Council election (New ward boundaries)^[27]
• 2019 Darlington Borough Council election
• 2023 Darlington Borough Council election

By-election results

2019–2023

External links

• Darlington Borough Council
• By-election results

Notes and References

1. Web site: https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Darlington-1973-1995.pdf.
2. Web site: https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Darlington-1973-1995.pdf.
3. Web site: https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Darlington-1973-1995.pdf.
4. Web site: https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Darlington-1973-1995.pdf.
5. Web site: https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Darlington-1973-1995.pdf.
6. Web site: https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Darlington-1973-1995.pdf.
7. Web site: https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Darlington-1973-1995.pdf.
8. Web site: http://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Darlington-1996-2011.pdf.
9. Web site: http://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Darlington-1996-2011.pdf.
10. Web site: http://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Darlington-1996-2011.pdf.
11. Web site: http://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Darlington-1996-2011.pdf.
12. Web site: https://www.darlington.gov.uk/media/3052/le11results.pdf.
13. Web site: Borough Council Elections 2015 .
14. Web site: Borough and Parish Elections 2 May 2019 .
15. News: Darlington result – Local Elections 2023 . BBC News . 2023-05-07.
16. Web site: Darlington Municipal Borough / County Borough . A Vision of Britain through Time . GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth . 13 August 2022.
17. act. 1972. 70. Local Government Act 1972. 31 July 2022.
18. si. The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972. 1972. 2039. 13 August 2022.
19. si. The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973. 1973. 551. 13 August 2022.
20. Web site: Compositions calculator . The Elections Centre . 4 March 2016 . 10 August 2022.
21. Web site: Council minutes . Darlington Borough Council . 13 August 2022.
22. News: Ex-Darlington Council leader John Williams dies at 65 . 13 August 2022 . BBC News . 12 July 2013.
23. The Darlington and Sedgefield (Areas) Order 1976
24. The Borough of Darlington (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1976
25. legislation.gov.uk – The Durham and North Yorkshire (County Boundaries) Order 1991. Retrieved on 5 November 2015.
26. legislation.gov.uk – The Borough of Darlington (Electoral Changes) Order 2001. Retrieved on 4 October 2015.
27. legislation.gov.uk – The Darlington (Electoral Changes) Order 2014. Retrieved on 3 November 2015.