Elections - the different types

Everyone in the borough of Stockton on Tees is represented by:

•  One, two or three councillors depending on ward size

•  A ceremonial Mayor of Stockton on Tees

•  A Tees Valley Combined Authority Mayor

•  A Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland

•  A Member of Parliament (MP) for Stockton North, and one for Stockton South

•  Three Members of the European Parliament (MEPs)

Electors have the opportunity to help decide who represents them in all of the above roles, except for the ceremonial Mayor. 

However, only people on the Voter (Electoral) Register are allowed to vote in the elections. If you are not already registered, please register to vote today, as you will lose your right to vote, and it can have a negative affect on:

• Your credit rating;

• Your ability to get a mortgage;

• Your ability to take out a mobile phone contract; and

• Your ability to obtain other forms of credit, such as hire purchase for vehicles, furniture etc.

Local Council (District) Elections

In a local election you are voting to elect councillors who will represent your views for the area where you live. The borough is divided into 26 areas known as ‘Wards’.

Each ward has one, two or three councillors depending on its size. There are a total of 56 elected councillors.

• Find your local councillor.

The last borough-wide local elections were held on Thursday 2 May 2019. These are held once every four years, on the first Thursday of May. 

The next Local Elections are due on Thursday 4 May 2023. 

Mencap and the Electoral Commission have produced an easy read guide for voters with a learning disability to help them to understand how to register and vote in the Local Elections. Please pass it on to anyone that may find it useful.

European Parliamentary Elections

In European Parliamentary Elections, you vote to elect somebody to represent you in the European Parliament as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP).

There are 12 European electoral regions in the UK. Each region has between three and 10 MEPs. Stockton on Tees is in the North East Region and has three MEPs.

The North East Region also includes County Durham, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Northumberland, Redcar & Cleveland and Tyne & Wear.

The results of the European Parliamentary Election - North East Region, held on Thursday 23 May 2019, are due to be announced on the evening of Sunday 26 May. 

Sunderland's Returning Officer is the Regional Returning Officer for the North East Region at European Parliamentary elections. Once announced, full regional results will be available on Sunderland Council's elections page.

Parliamentary (General) Elections

The last Parliamentary election took place on Thursday 8 June 2017. In these elections, voters elect somebody to represent them in Parliament, as a Member of Parliament (MP), in a parliamentary constituency.

Two constituencies cover the borough of Stockton on Tees:

• Stockton North

• Stockton South

The results of the election are shown on the Parliamentary Elections web page.

Visit the UK Parliament website for information about the role of MPs and the work of Parliament.

 The next Parliamentary election is scheduled to be held on Thursday 5 May 2022. 

Tees Valley Combined Authority Mayoral Election

Combined authorities are legal bodies with powers of decision making granted by parliament. They are a new way for local authorities to work together on key strategic functions that cross geographic council boundaries and which could be more effectively delivered together rather than separately. Examples include transport, regeneration and skills.

Government understands that local areas want more control over their own spending and decisions. Local authorities and local people want powers to be moved from Westminster to the Tees Valley. The Tees Valley Combined Authority has been established to allow this to happen. 

The first Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) Mayoral election was held on Thursday 4 May 2017. 

Ben Houchen, of the Conservative Party, was elected as the TVCA Mayor.  As TVCA elected Mayor, (sometimes referred to as the Metro Mayor), he will be responsible for leading the Tees Valley Combined Authority. View the TVCA Election page for all the result details. 

Find out more about devolution and the role of the Combined Authority Mayor.

The term of the first TVCA Mayor is three years.  Subsequent elections for the TVCA Mayor will be held every four years. The next one is due to take place on Thursday 7 May 2020.

Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Election

The role of the PCCs is to be the voice of the people and hold the police to account. They are responsible for the totality of policing.

PCCs aim to cut crime and deliver an effective and efficient police service within their force area.

PCCs have been elected by the public to hold Chief Constables and the force to account, effectively making the police answerable to the communities they serve.

The PCC for Cleveland is responsible for the area covered by Cleveland Police.

The last PPC election was held on Thursday 5 May 2016. View full details of the election results on the CC election webpage, along with information about the role of the Police and Crime Commissioner. 

Barry Coppinger was re-elected as the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland.

Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections are held every four years. The next one is due to take place on Thursday 7 May 2020.

Referendums

A referendum is a form of direct democracy, where a specific question is put to the entire electorate to vote for their preferred answer. 

Since 1973 there have been eleven referendums held in the UK, the majority of them have been related to the issue of devolution.

The first UK-wide referendum was held in 1975 on the United Kingdom’s continued membership of the European Community (European Union).

The  last referendum took place on 23 June 2016 about the UK’s membership of the European Union (EU) - when the UK voted to leave the EU.  

The Stockton results for the Referendum on the UK's membership of the EU are available on the Referendums web page.

Read the UK's EU referendum 2016 explained at www.parliment.uk. 

Youth Parliament Elections / Stockton Youth Assembly 

Every two years local young people aged 11 - 19 years old across the borough are invited to take part in an election to decide who will represent them as their Member of the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP).

In February 2019 Tanisha Roy was elected as the Member of UKYP for Stockton on Tees. Her Deputy is Emily Hill.

As well as providing a national voice for our young people, the MYP also represents them at regional meetings.

Tanisha also champions the cause of local young people as her role as MYP includes being the Chair of Stockton Youth Assembly (SYA).

The SYA is connected to the Council's decision-making structure, which means local young people have he opportunity to influence decisions being taken about the services provided for them by the Council and other organisations. 

For further information about Stockton Youth Assembly please contact the Youth Direction Team.

Telephone: 01642 677600

E-mail: [email protected] 

Past Election Results

For details of past election results, please visit the relevant web page for that type of election. If you require result details that are archived, please contact the Electoral Registration Office.

Telephone: 01642 677600

E-mail: [email protected].