Borough of Darlington

Unitary authority area in County Durham, England

Unitary authority area and borough in England

Borough of Darlington

Unitary authority area and borough

Darlington parish church

Coat of arms

Motto(s):

Latin: Optima Petamus, lit. 'let us seek the best'

Darlington shown within County Durham

Coordinates: 54°31′00″N 1°33′00″W﻿ / ﻿54.5167°N 1.5500°W﻿ / 54.5167; -1.5500
Sovereign state| United Kingdom
Country| England
Region| North East
Ceremonial county| County Durham
City region| Tees Valley
Incorporated| 1 April 1974
Unitary authority| 1 April 1997
Named after| Darlington
Administrative HQ| Darlington Town Hall
Government

[1]

• Type| Unitary authority
• Body| Darlington Borough Council
• Executive| Leader and cabinet
• Control| No overall control
• MPs|

2 MPs

* Lola McEvoy (L)
* Matt Vickers (C)

Area

[2]

• Total

| 76 sq mi (197 km2)
• Rank| 145th
Population

(2022)[3]

• Total

| 109,469
• Rank| 221st
• Density| 1,430/sq mi (554/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)

[4]

• Ethnic groups|

List

* 94.4% White
* 2.8% Asian
* 1.4% Mixed
* 0.9% other
* 0.7% Black

Religion (2021)

[4]

• Religion|

List

* 52.1% Christianity
* 39.7% no religion
* 1.7% Islam
* 0.4% Hinduism
* 0.4% Sikhism
* 0.3% Buddhism
* 0.0% Judaism
* 0.4% other
* 4.9% not stated

Time zone| UTC+0 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)| UTC+1 (BST)
Postcode areas|

Dialling codes| 01325
ISO 3166 code| GB-DAL
GSS code| E06000005
Website| www.darlington.gov.uk

The Borough of Darlington is a unitary authority area with borough status in County Durham, England. Since 1997 Darlington Borough Council has been a unitary authority; it is independent from Durham County Council. It is named after its largest settlement, the town of Darlington, where the council is based. The borough also includes a rural area surrounding the town which contains several villages. The population of the borough at the 2021 census was 107,800,[5] of which over 86% (93,015) lived in the built-up area of Darlington itself.[6]

Since 2016 the council has been a member of the Tees Valley Combined Authority, which has been led by the directly elected Tees Valley Mayor since 2017.

The neighbouring districts are the County Durham district to the north and west, Stockton-on-Tees to the east and North Yorkshire to the south, the River Tees forming the border for the latter.

## History

[edit]

The town of Darlington was made a municipal borough in 1867. In 1915 it was elevated to become a county borough, taking over county-level functions from Durham County Council.[7]

The borough was reformed and enlarged on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It absorbed nearly all of the surrounding Darlington Rural District, with the exception of the parish of Great Aycliffe (which covers the town of Newton Aycliffe) which went to Sedgefield district.[8][9] The enlarged borough was also reconstituted as a non-metropolitan district as part of the 1974 reforms, with Durham County Council once more providing county-level services to the town.[10]

The council was made a unitary authority on 1 April 1997, regaining its independence from the county council. The way this change was implemented was to create a new non-metropolitan county of Darlington covering the same area as the existing borough, but with no separate county council; instead the existing borough council took on county functions, making it a unitary authority.[11] The borough remains part of County Durham for ceremonial purposes, with whom it continues to share certain local services, such as the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service and Durham Constabulary.[12]

Since 2016 the council has been a member of the Tees Valley Combined Authority along with Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees. Unlike Darlington, the other four districts in the combined authority had all been part of the county of Cleveland between 1974 and 1996.[13]

## Governance

[edit]

Darlington Borough Council

Type
Type|

Leader & Cabinet

Leadership

Mayor

Sonia Kane,
Labour
since 22 May 2025[14][15]

Leader

Steve Harker,
Labour
since 25 May 2023

Chief executive

Rose Rouse
since March 2025[16]

Structure
Seats| 50 councillors

Political groups

Administration (26)
Labour (24)
Liberal Democrats (2)
Other parties (24)
Conservative (13)
Green (6)
Independent (5)

Joint committees

| Tees Valley Combined Authority
Elections

Voting system

| First-past-the-post

Last election

| 4 May 2023

Next election

| 6 May 2027
Meeting place
Town Hall, Feethams, Darlington, DL1 5QT
Website
www.darlington.gov.uk

Darlington Borough Council provides both county-level and district-level services. Parts of the borough are covered by civil parishes, which form a second tier of local government for their areas.[17]

Since 2016 the council has been a member of the Tees Valley Combined Authority.[18]

### Political control

[edit]

The council has been under no overall control since 2019. Following the 2023 election a coalition of Labour and the Liberal Democrats formed to run the council, led by Labour councillor Steve Harker.[19]

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[20]

Lower-tier non-metropolitan district

Party in control | Years

|

| Labour | 1974–1976
| Conservative | 1976–1979
| Labour | 1979–1987
| No overall control | 1987–1991
| Labour | 1991–1997

Unitary authority

Party in control | Years

|

| Labour | 1997–2019
| No overall control | 2019–present

### Leadership

[edit]

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. An attempt to secure a referendum on having a directly elected mayor in 2006 was unsuccessful.[21]

The leaders since 1991 have been:

Councillor | Party | From | To

|
|
|

John Williams[22] |  | Labour | 1991 | 8 May 2011
Bill Dixon[23][24] |  | Labour | 19 May 2011 | 19 Jul 2018
Steve Harker[25] |  | Labour | 19 Jul 2018 | May 2019
Heather Scott[26][27] |  | Conservative | 23 May 2019 | 19 May 2022
Jonathan Dulston[28][29] |  | Conservative | 19 May 2022 | May 2023
Steve Harker[30] |  | Labour | 25 May 2023 |

### Composition

[edit]

Following the 2023 election,[31] and subsequent changes of allegiance up to June 2025, the composition of the council was:[32][33]

Party  | Councillors

|

| Labour | 24
| Conservative | 13
| Green | 6
| Liberal Democrats | 2
| Independent | 5
Total | 50

The next election is due in 2027.[34]

### Elections

[edit]

See also: Darlington Borough Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2015 the council has comprised 50 councillors, representing 20 wards, each of which elects two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[35]

### Premises

[edit]

The council is based at Darlington Town Hall on Feethams in the centre of Darlington.[36] The building was purpose-built for the old county borough council and was completed in 1970.[37]

## Settlements

[edit]

See also: List of civil parishes in County Durham

As well as Darlington itself the borough includes the surrounding villages of:

* Archdeacon Newton
* Barmpton
* Beaumont Hill
* Bishopton
* Blackwell
* Brafferton
* Coatham Mundeville
* Denton
* Great Burdon
* Great Stainton
* Heighington
* High Coniscliffe
* Houghton
* Houghton Bank
* Houghton-le-Side
* Hurworth
* Hurworth-on-Tees
* Hurworth Place
* Neasham
* Killerby
* Little Stainton
* Low Dinsdale
* Near airport
* Middleton One Row
* Middleton St George
* Oak Tree
* Piercebridge
* Redworth
* Sadberge
* Summerhouse
* Walworth
* Walworth
* Walworth Gate

It is home to Teesside International Airport (previously known as Durham Tees Valley Airport).

## Demographics

[edit]

Main article: Demographics of Tees Valley

## Freedom of the Borough

[edit]

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Darlington.

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2020)

|

### Individuals

[edit]

* John Williams: 24 November 2011.
* Alasdair MacConachie: 24 November 2011.[38]

### Military Units

[edit]

* The Light Infantry: 1996.
* The Rifles: 17 September 2010.[39]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Elected Members". Darlington Borough Council. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
2. ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
3. ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
4. ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Darlington Local Authority (E06000005)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
5. ^ "Population and household estimates, England and Wales: Census 2021". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
6. ^ "Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021". Census 2021. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
7. ^ "Darlington Municipal Borough / County Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
8. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 3 March 2024
9. ^ "The New Parishes Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/688, retrieved 3 March 2024
10. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 3 March 2024
11. ^ "The Durham (Borough of Darlington) (Structural Change) Order 1995", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1995/1772, retrieved 3 March 2024
12. ^ "Lieutenancies Act 1997". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
13. ^ "The Tees Valley Combined Authority Order 2016". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. SI 2016/449. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
14. ^ Edgar, Bill (28 May 2025). "Councillor Sonia Kane elected as 2025 Mayor of Darlington". Northern Echo. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
15. ^ "Mayoral and Civic". Darlington Borough Council. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
16. ^ "Council minutes, 27 March 2025" (PDF). Darlington Borough Council. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
17. ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
18. ^ "The Tees Valley Combined Authority Order 2016". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. SI 2016/449. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
19. ^ Edgar, Bill (26 May 2023). "Cllr Steve Harker elected as new Darlington Council Leader". Northern Echo. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
20. ^ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 21 May 2025. (Put "Darlington" in search box to see specific results.)
21. ^ "Pro-mayor group halfway to securing a referendum". The Northern Echo. 29 August 2006. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
22. ^ "Ex-Darlington Council leader John Williams dies at 65". BBC News. 12 July 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
23. ^ "Council minutes, 19 May 2011" (PDF). Darlington Borough Council. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
24. ^ Minting, Stuart (21 July 2018). "Standing ovation for retiring Darlington council leader". Darlington and Stockton Times. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
25. ^ "Council minutes, 19 July 2018" (PDF). Darlington Borough Council. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
26. ^ "Council minutes, 23 May 2019" (PDF). Darlington Borough Council. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
27. ^ Gullon, Nick (11 May 2022). "Darlington Council leader Heather Scott to quit after three years". Darlington and Stockton Times. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
28. ^ "Council minutes, 19 May 2022" (PDF). Darlington Borough Council. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
29. ^ Edgar, Bill (5 May 2023). "The full Darlington Local Election results ward by ward". Northern Echo. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
30. ^ "Council minutes, 25 May 2023" (PDF). Darlington Borough Council. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
31. ^ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
32. ^ Edgar, Bill (4 October 2023). "Darlington Tory councillor Yvonne Renton becomes Independent". Northern Echo. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
33. ^ Edgar, Bill (30 May 2024). "Darlington councillor Colin Pease quits Conservative Party". Northern Echo. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
34. ^ "Darlington". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
35. ^ "The Darlington (Electoral Changes) Order 2014", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2014/3338, retrieved 3 March 2024
36. ^ "Opening times". Darlington Borough Council. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
37. ^ Lloyd, Chris (2017). Darlington in 50 Buildings. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1445666822.
38. ^ "Darlington Borough Council" (PDF). www.darlington.gov.uk.
39. ^ Live, Teesside (17 September 2010). "Thousands of people flocked to Darlington to honouring our heroes".

## External links

[edit]

* Darlington Borough Council
* Darlington Tourist Information
* Darlington Railway Centre & Museum
* Darlington Arts Centre & Civic Theatre

### Video clips

[edit]

* Darlington Borough Council YouTube channel

* v
* t
* e

Borough of Darlington

Suburbs
and areas|

* Blackwell
* Branksome
* Cockerton
* Darlington
* Eastbourne
* Faverdale
* Firth Moor
* Harrowgate Hill
* Harrowgate Village
* Haughton-le-Skerne
* High Grange
* Hummersknott
* Mowden
* Skerne Park
* The Denes
* West Park
* Whinfield

Villages
and hamlets|

* Archdeacon Newton
* Barmpton
* Beaumont Hill
* Bishopton
* Brafferton
* Coatham Mundeville
* Denton
* Great Burdon
* Great Stainton
* Harrowgate Village
* Headlam
* Heighington
* High Coniscliffe
* Houghton Bank
* Houghton-le-Side
* Hurworth-on-Tees
* Hurworth Place
* Killerby
* Little Stainton
* Low Dinsdale
* Middleton One Row
* Middleton St George
* Neasham
* Oak Tree
* Piercebridge
* Redworth
* Sadberge
* Summerhouse
* Walworth Gate
* Walworth

Politics|

* By-elections
* 1923
* 1926
* 1983
* Parliamentary constituency

Tourism|

* Hopetown Darlington
* Tees Valley Giants
* Ulnaby

Hospitals|

* Darlington Memorial Hospital

Education|

* Darlington College
* Schools

Media|

| Publishing|

* Darlington & Stockton Times
* The Northern Echo

|

Radio|

* 103.2 Alpha Radio
* Star Radio North East

Sport|

| Teams|

* Darlington FC
* Darlington Mowden Park RFC
* Darlington RFC

|

Venues|

* The Darlington Arena

Rivers|

* Skerne
* Tees

Transport|

| Air|

* Teesside International Airport

|

Rail|

* Darlington railway station
* East Coast Main Line
* North Road railway station

Bus|

* Arriva North East

Road|

* A1
* A167
* A66
* A67
* A68

Related articles|

* Darlington Building Society
* DL postcode area
* South Park
* History: Darlington Corporation Light Railways
* Darlington Works
* Feethams
* Stockton & Darlington Railway
* Trolleybuses in Darlington

* v
* t
* e

Ceremonial county of Durham

Unitary authorities|

* Borough of Darlington
* Borough of Hartlepool
* Borough of Stockton-on-Tees (part)
* County Durham

Major settlements
(cities in italics)|

* Barnard Castle
* Billingham
* Bishop Auckland
* Chester-le-Street
* Chilton
* Consett
* Crook
* Darlington
* Durham
* Eaglescliffe
* Easington Colliery
* Ferryhill
* Greater Willington
* Hartlepool
* Middleton-in-Teesdale
* Newton Aycliffe
* Norton-on-Tees
* Peterlee
* Seaham
* Sedgefield
* Shildon
* Spennymoor
* Stanhope
* Stanley
* Stockton-on-Tees
* Tow Law
* Wolsingham
See also: Durham

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Northumberland|

* Northumberland

Tyne and Wear|

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Teesside, North Yorkshire|

* Middlesbrough
* Redcar and Cleveland
* Stockton-on-Tees

* v
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Elections|

* Bath and North East Somerset
* Bedford
* Blackburn with Darwen
* Blackpool
* Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
* Bracknell Forest
* Brighton and Hove
* Bristol
* Buckinghamshire
* Central Bedfordshire
* Cheshire East
* Cheshire West and Chester
* Cornwall
* County Durham
* Cumberland
* Darlington
* Derby
* Dorset
* East Riding of Yorkshire
* Halton
* Hartlepool
* Herefordshire
* Isle of Wight
* Isles of Scilly
* Kingston upon Hull
* Leicester
* Luton
* Medway
* Middlesbrough
* Milton Keynes
* North East Lincolnshire
* North Lincolnshire
* North Northamptonshire
* North Somerset
* North Yorkshire
* Northumberland
* Nottingham
* Peterborough
* Plymouth
* Portsmouth
* Reading
* Redcar and Cleveland
* Rutland
* Shropshire
* Slough
* Somerset
* Southampton
* Southend-on-Sea
* South Gloucestershire
* Stockton-on-Tees
* Stoke-on-Trent
* Swindon
* Telford and Wrekin
* Thurrock
* Torbay
* Warrington
* West Berkshire
* Westmorland and Furness
* West Northamptonshire
* Wiltshire
* Windsor and Maidenhead
* Wokingham
* York

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