Your council
Sunderland: what’s happening where you live
What the council itself has published on the five things it most shapes for a household: homes, getting about, the bill, the local environment and schools. Each line is quoted from the council’s own document, with the link. This page says what was decided or proposed; it never says whether it was right.
Sunderland City Council: Metropolitan district (unitary), England, North East; part of the NECA combined authority. GOV.UK lists it as a unitary council.
Council website · Publication scheme
Do it online
- Household waste collection: Providing information
- Household waste collection: Reporting
- Bulky household waste collections: Applications for service
- Household garden waste: Providing information
- Recycling bags and containers: Providing information
- Flytipping: Reporting
- Road maintenance: Reporting
- Street lighting: Reporting
- Noise pollution: Reporting
- Council tax annual notification: Providing information
- Council tax annual notification: Collecting revenue
- Council tax discount: Applications for service
- Council tax benefit new claim: Applications for service
- Housing benefit new claim: Providing information
- Electoral register: Providing information
- Electoral register: Applications for service
- Primary school places: Applications for service
- Secondary school places: Applications for service
- Library facilities: Providing information
- Parking permits: Providing information
- Planning decision notices: Providing information
- Councillors directory: Providing information
- Complaints procedure: Providing information
Housing
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Transport
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Council tax
Band D set by Sunderland for 2026–27: £1,876.80 of a £2,197.14 total bill in the area.
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Environment
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Education
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Changes to schools in this area recorded by the Department for Education Updated automatically
No school here is currently recorded as proposed to open or close.
In the last twelve months: 1 opened (1 reason not recorded), 0 closed
- Endeavour SR — open, 20 November 2025
What the council plans to spend, 2026–27
| Service | Budget |
|---|---|
| Education services | £169.4 million |
| Highways and transport services | £16.0 million |
| Children's social care | £93.0 million |
| Adult social care | £159.8 million |
| Public health | £32.0 million |
| Housing services (general fund only) | £12.5 million |
| Cultural and related services | £12.0 million |
| Environmental and regulatory services | £44.8 million |
| Planning and development services | £12.2 million |
| Police services | none budgeted |
| Fire and rescue services | none budgeted |
| Central services | £26.1 million |
| Other services | £2.9 million |
| Total service expenditure | £580.7 million |
Sunderland in numbers
- Total population
- 288,606 people
- Median age
- 41 years
- Gross disposable household income per head
- £19,252
- Gross median weekly pay
- £558
- Children in relative poverty after housing costs
- 29.7%
- Claimant Count
- 3.9%
- Average house price
- £147,114
- Housing affordability ratio (residence-based)
- 4.6 affordability ratio
- Female healthy life expectancy
- 56.3 years
- Male healthy life expectancy
- 56.4 years
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- 3.5 tCO2e per capita
- Gigabit capable broadband
- 94.7%
- Public electric vehicle chargers
- 192.0 per 100,000 population
- Active businesses
- 6,615 number of enterprises
Who runs the council
75 seats in 2026. Run by: Reform UK, with a majority.
Councillors by party: Reform UK 58, Liberal Democrats 12, Labour Party 5.
Next scheduled council election: 6 May 2027.
All 75 councillors, by ward
- Caroline Comer (Labour Party) — Barnes & Thornhill
- Ehthesham Haque (Labour Party) — Barnes & Thornhill
- Fiona Tobin (Labour Party) — Barnes & Thornhill
- David Barker (Reform UK) — Deptford & Hendon
- Lynda Andrews (Reform UK) — Deptford & Hendon
- Marie McCarty (Reform UK) — Deptford & Hendon
- Heather Fagan (Liberal Democrats) — Doxford Park
- Michael Peacock (Liberal Democrats) — Doxford Park
- Paul Gibson (Liberal Democrats) — Doxford Park
- Helen Greener (Reform UK) — Farringdon & Silksworth
- Ian Dury (Reform UK) — Farringdon & Silksworth
- Robert Hutchinson (Reform UK) — Farringdon & Silksworth
- Malcolm Bond (Liberal Democrats) — Fulwell
- Peter Walton (Liberal Democrats) — Fulwell
- Steve Pickering (Liberal Democrats) — Fulwell
- Colin Wright (Reform UK) — Grangetown
- Daniel Cowie (Reform UK) — Grangetown
- Mark Wynn (Reform UK) — Grangetown
- Margaret Crosby (Liberal Democrats) — Grindon & Thorney Close
- Paul Edgeworth (Liberal Democrats) — Grindon & Thorney Close
- Stephen O\'Brien (Liberal Democrats) — Grindon & Thorney Close
- Bill Blackett (Reform UK) — Herrington & Newbottle
- Bruce Allcroft (Reform UK) — Herrington & Newbottle
- Jeffrey Shaw (Reform UK) — Herrington & Newbottle
- Alan Davies (Reform UK) — Hetton
- Jason Lloyd (Reform UK) — Hetton
- Steven Paterson (Reform UK) — Hetton
- Donna Thomas (Reform UK) — Houghton North
- Joseph Parkin (Reform UK) — Houghton North
- Sandra Hobson-Tate (Reform UK) — Houghton North
- Heather Finlay (Reform UK) — Houghton South & Hetton Downs
- Jonathon Emerson (Reform UK) — Houghton South & Hetton Downs
- Michael Quigley (Reform UK) — Houghton South & Hetton Downs
- David Laing (Reform UK) — Hylton Castle
- Glenn Gibbins (Reform UK) — Hylton Castle
- Ian Jones (Reform UK) — Hylton Castle
- Julia Potts (Liberal Democrats) — Pallion & Ford
- Martin Haswell (Liberal Democrats) — Pallion & Ford
- Steven Donkin (Liberal Democrats) — Pallion & Ford
- Carol Giles (Reform UK) — Pennywell & South Hylton
- Julia Irwing (Reform UK) — Pennywell & South Hylton
- Russell Giles (Reform UK) — Pennywell & South Hylton
- Abbey Purcell (Reform UK) — Penshaw & Shiney Row
- Axel Tye (Reform UK) — Penshaw & Shiney Row
- Carole Allcroft (Reform UK) — Penshaw & Shiney Row
- Christopher Eynon (Reform UK) — Redhouse
- Ciera Hudspith (Reform UK) — Redhouse
- Shaun Conley (Reform UK) — Redhouse
- Andrew Ramsey (Reform UK) — Roker
- Kirsty Alder (Reform UK) — Roker
- Thomas Steele (Reform UK) — Roker
- James Jackson (Reform UK) — Ryhope
- Pamela Taylor (Reform UK) — Ryhope
- Sharon Surtees (Reform UK) — Ryhope
- Jamie Scott (Reform UK) — Southwick
- Jannine Morrow (Reform UK) — Southwick
- Michael Leadbitter (Reform UK) — Southwick
- David Wales (Reform UK) — Tunstall & Humbledon
- Glenda Hall (Reform UK) — Tunstall & Humbledon
- Richard Vardy (Reform UK) — Tunstall & Humbledon
- Janis Berzemnieks (Reform UK) — Washington Central
- Joseph Phillips (Reform UK) — Washington Central
- Saleem Memon (Reform UK) — Washington Central
- Anthony Ormond (Reform UK) — Washington East
- Emily Lopez (Reform UK) — Washington East
- Ian Hembrough (Reform UK) — Washington East
- Elizabeth Brown (Reform UK) — Washington North
- Jason King (Reform UK) — Washington North
- Paul Donaghy (Reform UK) — Washington North
- Elouise Redmayne (Reform UK) — Washington South
- John Watson (Reform UK) — Washington South
- Robert Pattison (Reform UK) — Washington South
- Adrian Pickering (Reform UK) — Washington West
- Brandon Feeley (Labour Party) — Washington West
- Joanne Chapman (Labour Party) — Washington West