Sunderland Council election, 2006
Encyclopedia
The 2006 Sunderland Council election took place on 4 May 2006 to elect members of Sunderland
Metropolitan Borough
Council in Tyne and Wear
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour
party stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
, 2 Liberal Democrat and 1 independent
councillor
s. In total 99 candidates stood in the election for the 25 seats that were being contested, with the Labour party, Conservative party and British National Party
contesting every seat. Other candidates included 22 from the Liberal Democrats and 1 from the Official Monster Raving Loony Party
. The council was safe for Labour, but the Conservatives were hoping to make gains in the wards
of Doxford
, St Peters, Washington
East and Washington South.
Sunderland was one of 4 local councils which had early polling station
s available so voters could vote up to 2 weeks before the election.
was 32.2%, with 1,436 voters having used the early voting scheme, while 30,304 people used postal voting
, which was 67.54% of those registered to vote by post.
Following the election the leader of the Conservative group, Peter Wood, was challenged for the leadership by Lee Martin, but held on by one vote.
City of Sunderland
The City of Sunderland is a local government district of Tyne and Wear, in North East England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough...
Metropolitan Borough
Metropolitan borough
A metropolitan borough is a type of local government district in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted...
Council in Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
party stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
- LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
59 - ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
13 - Liberal Democrat 2
- IndependentIndependent (politician)In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
1
Campaign
Before the election the council was composed of 60 Labour, 12 ConservativeConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, 2 Liberal Democrat and 1 independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s. In total 99 candidates stood in the election for the 25 seats that were being contested, with the Labour party, Conservative party and British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
contesting every seat. Other candidates included 22 from the Liberal Democrats and 1 from the Official Monster Raving Loony Party
Official Monster Raving Loony Party
The Official Monster Raving Loony Party is a registered political party established in the United Kingdom in 1983 by musician and politician David Sutch , better known as Screaming Lord Sutch.-History:...
. The council was safe for Labour, but the Conservatives were hoping to make gains in the wards
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
of Doxford
Doxford Park
Doxford Park is a suburb of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, located to the south-west of the city centre.Doxford Park is also the name of a wooded area of land located within the suburb....
, St Peters, Washington
Washington, Tyne and Wear
Washington is a town in the City of Sunderland in Tyne and Wear, England. Historically part of County Durham, it joined a new county in 1974 with the creation of Tyne and Wear...
East and Washington South.
Sunderland was one of 4 local councils which had early polling station
Polling station
A polling place or polling station is where voters cast their ballots in elections.Since elections generally take place over a one- or two-day span on a periodic basis, often annual or longer, polling places are often located in facilities used for other purposes, such as schools, churches, sports...
s available so voters could vote up to 2 weeks before the election.
Election result
The results saw Labour keep a strong majority on the council after finishing just one seat down with 59 councillors. The Labour leader of the council, Robert Symonds, was among those to hold his seat in Castle ward, but the party did lose 2 seats including St Peters to the Conservatives. The other Labour loss was to the Liberal Democrats in Millfield, but Labour also gained Washington South from the Liberal Democrats. This meant the Conservatives had 13 seats, the Liberal Democrats 2 and 1 independent. Meanwhile the British National Party failed to win any seats, but did win almost 15% of the vote. Overall turnoutVoter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
was 32.2%, with 1,436 voters having used the early voting scheme, while 30,304 people used postal voting
Postal voting
Postal voting describes the method of voting in an election whereby ballot papers are distributed or returned by post to electors, in contrast to electors voting in person at a polling station or electronically via an electronic voting system....
, which was 67.54% of those registered to vote by post.
Following the election the leader of the Conservative group, Peter Wood, was challenged for the leadership by Lee Martin, but held on by one vote.