Photo: Robert Graham · CC BY-SA 2.0Reform UK holds a majority on Durham County Council
Durham is run by Durham County Council. Reform UK has a majority on Durham County Council. Its MP is Mary Kelly Foy (Labour), member for City of Durham.
£2,542
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Durham’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 ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Durham is £2,622 for 2026–27; Durham County Council keeps 79% 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
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 50 of County Durham’s 98 seats to run the council alone.
- Reform UK63
- Liberal Democrat15
- Independent12
- Labour5
- Green2
- Conservative1
Latest election: May 2025.
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 Durham
One council runs every main service here.
The parish council for the part of Durham inside City of Durham parish.
46% of Durham’s residents · Band D precept £66
The parish council for the part of Durham inside Belmont parish.
Who runs Durham: same source as Who runs Durham, above.
The parish council for the part of Durham inside Framwellgate Moor parish.
Who runs Durham: same source as Who runs Durham, above.
Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.
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.
24% of Durham’s residents live outside any parish, with no parish council; there, its charter trustees (Charter Trustees for the City of Durham) keep the ceremonial mayoralty and add £2.70 to a Band D 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 parish to Westminster
Every elected tier that speaks for Durham, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parish3 parish councilsCity of Durham parish councilBelmont parish councilFramwellgate Moor parish council
- 2Durham County Council4 wards · 9 councillorsLiberal Democrat 9 · all 9
- 3Mayor of North East Combined AuthorityNorth East Combined Authority · elected May 2024Kim McGuinness
- 4Police and crime commissionerDurham Constabulary · elected May 2024Joy Allen
- 5House of CommonsCity of Durham
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.
9 councillors for 4 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.
- Amanda Jayne HopgoodLiberal Democrat · May 2025
- Mark WilkesLiberal Democrat · May 2025
- Elizabeth PearsLiberal Democrat · May 2025
- Liz BrownLiberal Democrat · May 2025
- Elizabeth ScottLiberal Democrat · May 2025
- David Robert FreemanLiberal Democrat · May 2025
- Ellie Jayne HopgoodLiberal Democrat · May 2025
- Lesley MavinLiberal Democrat · May 2025
- Eric MavinLiberal Democrat · May 2025
Show as a table
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Framwellgate & Newton Hallall in Durham · 14,433 residents3 seats · May 2025 | 3 | Amanda Jayne HopgoodMark WilkesElizabeth Pears | May 2025 |
| Neville's Crossall in Durham · 12,902 residents2 seats · May 2025 | 2 | Liz BrownElizabeth Scott | May 2025 |
| Elvet, Gilesgate & Shincliffemostly in Durham · 12,138 residents2 seats · May 2025 | 2 | David Robert FreemanEllie Jayne Hopgood | May 2025 |
| Belmontall in Durham · 11,029 residents2 seats · May 2025 | 2 | Lesley MavinEric Mavin | May 2025 |
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).
County Durham council election, May 2025
Results in the wards that make up Durham, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
4 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Durham’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗12,454 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
5,086 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
4,598 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
Every ward’s result (1 more)
6,350 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Durham is in City of Durham constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Durham).
40,627 votes for candidates · majority 11,757
Labour, MP since 12 December 2019.
turnout in July 2024: 40,627 votes from 70,583 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 11,757 of 40,627 votes (28.9%): wider than in 83% 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.
Durham’s Band D council tax is £2,622 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 (79%); the rest goes to the Parish councils, the Durham police and crime commissioner and the Durham Fire and Rescue Authority.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,542 (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 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 | Durham’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 Durham 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 Durham is run
Does Durham have a town council?
Parts of it do: City of Durham parish council, Belmont parish council and Framwellgate Moor parish council.
Who is the MP for Durham?
Mary Kelly Foy (Labour) is the MP for City of Durham, which covers Durham.
How many councillors does Durham have?
9 ward councillors represent Durham’s 4 wards.
When are the next elections in Durham?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Durham’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Durham?
Band D council tax in Durham is £2,542 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 2025 council election in Durham?
In Durham’s wards on 1 May 2025, Liberal Democrat 9 of the 9 seats up. The Liberal Democrats had the largest share of votes, 48.9%.
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.