2021 Durham County Council election

2021 Durham County Council election

← 2017 6 May 2021 2025 →
All 126 council division seats 64 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	36.35% (5.1 pp)
First party Second party Third party   Party Labour Conservative Independent Last election 74 seats, 42% 10 seats, 15% 13 seats, 16% Seats won 53 24 22 Seat change 21 14 9 Popular vote 101,939 74,862 38,499 Percentage 37.8% 27.8% 14.3% Swing 4.6% 12.8% 2.1%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Party Liberal Democrats Derwentside Independents North East Last election 14 seats, 13% 7 seats, 6% 3 seats, 2% Seats won 17 5 4 Seat change 3 2 1 Popular vote 34,887 7,301 3,947 Percentage 12.9% 2.7% 1.5% Swing 0.4% 3.1% 0.7%   Seventh party   Party Green Last election 0 seats, 2% Seats won 1 Seat change 1 Popular vote 6,550 Percentage 2.4% Swing 0.1%
Map showing the results of the 2021 Durham County Council election
Council control before election Labour Council control after election Liberal Democrat and Conservative coalition

The 2021 Durham County Council election was held on 6 May 2021 as part of the 2021 local elections in the United Kingdom.

All 126 councillors were to be elected. The county is divided into 63 electoral divisions (called "wards") with each electing between 1 and 3 councillors by the first-past-the-post voting method for a fixed four-year term.

The result saw the Labour Party retain its position as the largest party but lose control of the council. It marked the first time since 1919 that the council (and its predecessors) had not been controlled by Labour.

Another notable result was the Green Party of England and Wales gaining their first seat on the Council in the Brandon division, gaining one seat from Labour.

The council convened in its Annual Meeting on 26 May, where a coalition of the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, North East Party, and independents formed the Cabinet and elected Amanda Hopgood of the Liberal Democrats as Leader of the Council; the first woman to hold the position.