When are the local elections in Sunderland?
Getty ImagesThe election for Sunderland City Council is to be held on Thursday 7 May.
All 75 seats will be contested, with the 25 wards returning three councillors each.
Polling stations will be open between 07:00 and 22:00 BST and people in the queue by 22:00 will still be allowed to vote.
Who is standing in Sunderland?
The list of candidates will be published after Thursday 9 April.
The Labour Party currently holds a majority of seats on Sunderland City Council with the parties split as follows:
- Labour - 50 seats
- Liberal Democrat - 12 seats
- Conservative - nine seats
- Independent - two seats
- Reform - one seat
There is a vacancy in the Washington West ward.
Electoral ward boundaries have changed in Sunderland following the Local Government Boundary Commission Review and will come into effect for the May election.
How to vote for the local council
The deadline to register to vote is Monday 20 April and can be done online.
Polling cards will be sent out nearer the time with details of where to vote.
Voters will need to show photo ID at the polling station.
Up to three votes can be cast for different candidates. You do not need to use all the votes but three councillors will still be elected per ward.
These councillors will represent their constituents and help shape the direction of the local authority, which is responsible for services like bin collections and planning applications.
An application for a postal vote must be submitted by 21 April and the deadline to submit an application to vote by proxy is 28 April.
Sunderland City Council said it would start counting votes from 10:00 on Friday 8 May.
