Durham County Council elections are held every four years. Durham County Council is the local authority for the unitary authority of County Durham. Since becoming a unitary authority, 126 councillors have been elected from 63 wards.[1]
| Election | Labour | Conservative | Liberal Democrat[2] | Independent | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973[3] | 56 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 72[4] | |
| 1977[5] | 41 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 72 | |
| 1981[6] | 53 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 72 | |
| 1985[7] | 50 | 5 | 7[8] | 10[9] | 72 | |
| 1989[10] | 56 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 72 | |
| 1993[11] | 56 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 72 | |
| 1997[12] | 53 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 61 | |
| 2001[13] | 53 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 61 | |
| 2005[14] | 53 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 63 | |
| 2008[15] | 67 | 10 | 27 | 22 | 126 | |
| 2013[16] | 94 | 4 | 9 | 19 | 126 | |
| 2017 | 74 | 10 | 14 | 28 | 126 | |
| 2021 | 53 | 24 | 17 | 32 | 126 | |
| 2025 | 98 | |||||
Prior to the formation of the unitary authority in 2009, the county was divided into a number of second tier districts. The following articles detail the local elections to those district councils. The Borough of Darlington has formed a unitary authority outside the area covered by the County Council since 1997.
The following is an incomplete list of by-elections to Durham County Council.