Photo: Robert Graham · CC BY-SA 2.0Reform UK holds a majority on Durham County Council
Blackhall Mill is run by Durham County Council and Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council. Reform UK has a majority on Durham County Council and Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council. Its MP is Liz Twist (Labour), member for Blaydon and Consett.
£2,572
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Blackhall Mill’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Durham County Council
Reform UK holds a majority on Durham County Council: 63 of its 98 seats as elected. The Liberal Democrats hold 15, independents 12, Labour 5, the Greens 2 and the Conservatives 1. Who’s in charge ↓
The 2026 vote
Across Blackhall Mill’s wards, Labour took 46.7%, Reform UK took 33.5% and the Greens took 11.7% of votes in May 2026. In 2025, Labour had 27.5%. How Blackhall Mill has voted ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Blackhall Mill is £2,500 for 2026–27; Durham County Council keeps 83% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 51% in ten years, against England’s 56%. Council money ↓
Written from the data on this page: Democracy Club results since May 2021, the UK Parliament Members API and MHCLG council tax.
Who holds the seats on Blackhall Mill’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 50 of County Durham’s 98 or 34 of Gateshead’s 66 seats to run the council alone.
- Reform UK63
- Liberal Democrat15
- Independent12
- Labour5
- Green2
- Conservative1
Latest election: May 2025.
- Reform UK38+38
- Liberal Democrat13−5
- Labour12−36
- Green3+3
Change against the council before the 7 May 2026 election.
Seats are counted from election results: each ward’s most recent winners until its seats are filled. Councillors who have since changed party or resigned aren’t reflected, and which parties lead the council, and who is leader, comes from the council itself.
Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), elections since May 2021; seats per ward from its EveryElection.
The councils that run Blackhall Mill
One council runs every main service here.
Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.
67% of Blackhall Mill’s residents
Website ↗Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.
Who runs Blackhall Mill: same source as Who runs Blackhall Mill, above.
Website ↗Transport, skills and regeneration across several council areas. It is led by an elected mayor.
Mayor: Kim McGuinness (Labour and Co-operative), elected May 2024
Who to ask
From GOV.UK’s “Understand how your council works”: here one council runs every main service.
All of Blackhall Mill is unparished: there is no parish or town council, so the council runs local matters itself and no parish precept is added to the bill.
Councils from ONS lookups (wards and councils May 2026, parishes 2025), names and websites from GOV.UK’s local council finder; parish councils from MHCLG’s 2026–27 list of precepting parishes.
From the council to Westminster
Every elected tier that speaks for Blackhall Mill, from the most recent elections.
- 1Council wards2 wards · 6 councillorsSaffron Sims-BrydonGavin BrydonCraig Thomas MarshallLynne CaffreyMichael McNestryJamie Joe Park
- 2Mayor of North East Combined AuthorityNorth East Combined Authority · elected May 2024Kim McGuinness
- 3Police and crime commissionerDurham Constabulary · elected May 2024Joy Allen
- 4Police and crime commissionerNorthumbria Police · elected May 2024Susan Dungworth
- 5House of CommonsBlaydon and Consett
Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own. Tap an MP’s name for their contact page on parliament.uk.
6 councillors for 2 wards
Wards with at least 2% of the town’s residents, or half their own inside it. Each shows who won its most recent elections, newest first, until its seats are filled.
- Saffron Sims-BrydonReform UK · May 2025
- Gavin BrydonReform UK · May 2025
- Craig Thomas MarshallReform UK · May 2025
- Lynne CaffreyLabour · May 2026
- Michael McNestryLabour · May 2026
- Jamie Joe ParkLabour · May 2026
Show as a table
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derwent & Pont ValleyCounty Durham · 6% in Blackhall Mill · 1,018 residents3 seats · May 2025 | 3 | Saffron Sims-BrydonGavin BrydonCraig Thomas Marshall | May 2025 |
| Chopwell & Rowlands GillGateshead · 6% in Blackhall Mill · 510 residents3 seats · May 2026 | 3 | Lynne CaffreyMichael McNestryJamie Joe Park | May 2026 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Durham County Council’s website lists who sits now.
Results from Democracy Club’s candidates database (CC BY 4.0; elections since May 2021) and ward seats from its EveryElection, matched to ONS wards (May 2026) and county divisions (May 2025).
Reform UK led each vote to 2025; Labour led in 2026
Share of all votes cast for candidates in Blackhall Mill’s wards at each scheduled council election since 2021. A gap is a year with no election here.
Seats won at each election
Show as a table
| Party | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Green | 2.9% | 11.7% |
| Labour | 27.5% | 46.7% |
| Liberal Democrat | 3.8% | 5.1% |
| Reform UK | 42.2% | 33.5% |
| Derwentside Independents | 21.4% | 0% |
In 2026, Labour won 3 of the 3 seats up in Blackhall Mill’s wards.
Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0). Where a ward elects several councillors at once, each voter has that many votes; all of them count here.
Gateshead council election, May 2026
Results in the wards that make up Blackhall Mill, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
1 ward voted. Not every seat in the town’s wards was up this time.
No election is scheduled yet for Blackhall Mill’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗9,233 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Blackhall Mill is in Blaydon and Consett constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Blackhall Mill).
42,216 votes for candidates · majority 11,153
Labour, MP since 8 June 2017.
turnout in July 2024: 42,216 votes from 70,487 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 11,153 of 42,216 votes (26.4%): wider than in 80% of England’s 543 constituencies.
MPs and results: UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0); constituencies from ONS (2024 boundaries). Percentages are of valid votes; turnout is votes cast over the electorate.
Blackhall Mill’s Band D council tax is £2,500 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Durham County Council keeps £2,071.11 of a Band D bill (83%); the rest goes to the Durham police and crime commissioner and the Durham Fire and Rescue Authority.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,572 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Band D since 2009
County Durham’s Band D bill has risen 51% in ten years, from £1,735.37 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £1,567.12 in 2009–10.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in the unparished part of County Durham, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
County Durham’s councils
Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £2,300.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with County Durham
| County Durham | Blackhall Mill’s councils | County Durham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £415 | £443 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £371 | £394 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £37 | £48 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £34 | £36 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £130 | £125 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £73 | £65 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £28 | £23 | £26 |
| Public health | £125 | £116 | £78 |
| Running the council | £53 | £57 | £59 |
| Other | £60 | £33 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,325 | £1,340 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Schools are left out: academies are paid for directly by government, so council school budgets depend on how many schools have converted. County Durham and England: all their councils together. Police, fire and transport authorities aren’t included.
Band D: MHCLG Band D council tax 2026–27 (each authority’s own figure, excluding parish precepts) and Council Tax statistics for town and parish councils 2026–27; since 1993–94, MHCLG’s area averages including parishes.
Having a say in how Blackhall Mill is run
It takes about five minutes online; the deadline is 12 working days before a poll.
gov.uk ↗Type a postcode to write to each of its councillors and its MP.
WriteToThem ↗GOV.UK sends the report to the council that looks after the road.
gov.uk ↗Council and committee meetings are open to the public, with agendas and minutes online.
durham.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
durham.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Blackhall Mill is run
Does Blackhall Mill have a town council?
No. Blackhall Mill is unparished, so there is no town or parish council and no parish precept.
Who is the MP for Blackhall Mill?
Liz Twist (Labour) is the MP for Blaydon and Consett, which covers Blackhall Mill.
How many councillors does Blackhall Mill have?
6 ward councillors represent Blackhall Mill’s 2 wards.
When are the next elections in Blackhall Mill?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Blackhall Mill’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Blackhall Mill?
Band D council tax in Blackhall Mill is £2,572 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Durham County Council?
Reform UK has a majority: 63 of 98 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who won the 2026 council election in Blackhall Mill?
In Blackhall Mill’s wards on 7 May 2026, Labour 3 of the 3 seats up. Labour had the largest share of votes, 46.7%.
Sources: ONS ward, county division, parish, constituency lookups (Census 2021 output areas; Open Government Licence v3.0) · GOV.UK local council finder · Democracy Club candidates (CC BY 4.0) and EveryElection · UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0) · MHCLG Band D council tax, parish precepts and Revenue Account budgets 2026–27 (OGL v3.0) · ONS mid-2025 population estimates. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.