Photo: peter robinson · CC BY-SA 2.0No party holds a majority on Darlington Borough Council
School Aycliffe is run by Darlington Borough Council and Durham County Council, with Heighington parish council for local matters. No party holds a majority on Darlington Borough Council. Reform UK has a majority on Durham County Council. Most of School Aycliffe is in Darlington (MP Lola McEvoy, Labour); 41% of residents are in Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor (MP Alan Strickland, Labour).
£2,639
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How School Aycliffe’s politics has changed since 2021
No majority on Darlington Borough Council
Labour, the largest group, holds 23 of its 50 seats as elected, 3 short of the 26 needed. The Conservatives hold 15, the Greens 7, the Liberal Democrats 3, independents 1 and Reform UK 1. Who’s in charge ↓
The 2025 vote
Across School Aycliffe’s wards, Reform UK took 46.4%, Labour took 18.4% and independents took 16.4% of votes in May 2025. In 2023, Reform UK had 0%. How School Aycliffe has voted ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in School Aycliffe is £2,519 for 2026–27; Darlington Borough Council keeps 82% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 58% 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 School Aycliffe’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 26 of Darlington’s 50 or 50 of County Durham’s 98 seats to run the council alone.
- Labour23
- Conservative15
- Green7
- Liberal Democrat3
- Independent1
- Reform UK1
Latest election: May 2023.
- 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 School Aycliffe
One council runs every main service here.
Local matters: allotments, play areas, halls, footpaths and benches; it is consulted on planning and adds a precept to the council tax bill. A town council is a parish council by another name.
59% of School Aycliffe’s residents · Band D precept £34
The parish council for the part of School Aycliffe inside Great Aycliffe parish.
Who runs School Aycliffe: same source as Who runs School Aycliffe, above.
Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.
59% of School Aycliffe’s residents
Website ↗Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.
Who runs School Aycliffe: same source as Who runs School Aycliffe, above.
Website ↗Transport, skills and regeneration across several council areas. It is led by an elected mayor.
Mayor: Ben Houchen (Conservative), elected May 2024
Who to ask
From GOV.UK’s “Understand how your council works”: here one council runs every main service.
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 School Aycliffe, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parish2 parish councilsHeighington parish councilGreat Aycliffe parish council
- 2Council wards2 wards · 5 councillorsGerald Garfield LeePaul CrudassJohn William GrantNicole Louise BrownAndrew Eales
- 3Mayor of Tees Valley Combined AuthorityTees Valley Combined Authority · elected May 2024Ben Houchen
- 4Mayor of North East Combined AuthorityNorth East Combined Authority · elected May 2024Kim McGuinness
- 5Police and crime commissionerDurham Constabulary · elected May 2024Joy Allen
- 6House of CommonsSplit between 2 constituencies
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.
5 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.
- Gerald Garfield LeeConservative · May 2023
- Paul CrudassConservative · May 2023
- John William GrantReform UK · May 2025
- Nicole Louise BrownReform UK · May 2025
- Andrew EalesReform UK · May 2025
Show as a table
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heighington & ConiscliffeDarlington · 20% in School Aycliffe · 940 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Gerald Garfield LeePaul Crudass | May 2023 |
| Aycliffe SouthCounty Durham · 4% in School Aycliffe · 650 residents3 seats · May 2025 | 3 | John William GrantNicole Louise BrownAndrew Eales | May 2025 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Darlington Borough 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).
The Conservatives led each vote to 2023; Reform UK led in 2025
Share of all votes cast for candidates in School Aycliffe’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 | 2023 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Green | 10.4% | 1.8% |
| Labour | 19.1% | 18.4% |
| Liberal Democrat | 2.3% | 10.3% |
| Independent | 14.8% | 16.4% |
| Conservative | 53.4% | 6.7% |
| Reform UK | 0% | 46.4% |
In 2025, Reform UK won 3 of the 3 seats up in School Aycliffe’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.
County Durham council election, May 2025
Results in the wards that make up School Aycliffe, 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 School Aycliffe’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗8,793 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.
School Aycliffe is split between 2 constituencies
The constituencies’ MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result.
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024
59% of School Aycliffe’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 60% (England 60%).
Majority 2,298 of 42,378 votes (5.4%): the 105th-narrowest of 543 in England.
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024
41% of School Aycliffe’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 55% (England 60%).
Majority 8,839 of 39,846 votes (22.2%): wider than in 72% of England’s 543 constituencies.
42,378 votes for candidates · majority 2,298
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 42,378 votes from 70,672 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 2,298 of 42,378 votes (5.4%): the 105th-narrowest of 543 in England.
Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor
39,846 votes for candidates · majority 8,839
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 39,846 votes from 72,215 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 8,839 of 39,846 votes (22.2%): wider than in 72% 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.
School Aycliffe’s Band D council tax is £2,519 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Darlington Borough Council keeps £2,056.87 of a Band D bill (82%); the rest goes to the Heighington parish council, the Durham police and crime commissioner and the Durham Fire and Rescue Authority.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,639 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Band D since 1993
Darlington’s Band D bill has risen 58% in ten years, from £1,579.21 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £588.38 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Heighington, 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
| Darlington | School Aycliffe’s councils | County Durham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £510 | £443 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £384 | £394 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £59 | £48 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £31 | £36 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £118 | £125 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £68 | £65 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £13 | £23 | £26 |
| Public health | £103 | £116 | £78 |
| Running the council | £85 | £57 | £59 |
| Other | £-15 | £33 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,356 | £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 School Aycliffe 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.
darlington.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
darlington.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how School Aycliffe is run
Which council runs School Aycliffe?
School Aycliffe is run by Darlington Borough Council and Durham County Council.
Does School Aycliffe have a town council?
Yes: School Aycliffe has its own parish-tier council (Heighington parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £34 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for School Aycliffe?
School Aycliffe is split between 2 constituencies: Darlington (Lola McEvoy, Labour) and Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor (Alan Strickland, Labour). Parliament’s Find your MP service matches a postcode to its MP.
How many councillors does School Aycliffe have?
5 ward councillors represent School Aycliffe’s 2 wards.
When are the next elections in School Aycliffe?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for School Aycliffe’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in School Aycliffe?
Band D council tax in School Aycliffe is £2,639 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Darlington Borough Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Labour 23 · Conservative 15 · Green 7 · Liberal Democrat 3 · Independent 1 · Reform UK 1 of 50 seats; a majority needs 26. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls Durham County Council?
Reform UK has a majority: 63 of 98 seats as elected.
Who won the 2025 council election in School Aycliffe?
In School Aycliffe’s wards on 1 May 2025, Reform UK 3 of the 3 seats up. Reform UK had the largest share of votes, 46.4%.
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.