Sunderland is being touted as a city to watch in next month's local elections as Conservative politicians make bold predictions of a shock Labour loss.
But could Wearside really fall out of Labour hands for the first time since the council was formed in 1974? As voters head to the polls on Thursday, May 5, there's only one thing that's certain: the result will be an interesting one.
Ever since the city predicted the national Brexit result in 2016, Sunderland has been seen as something of a weathervane for national politics. Although, unlike other parts of the North East, the area didn't gain any Tory MPs as part of the crumbling of the 'Red Wall' in 2019, Labour politicians' majorities were slashed, while the party's historic hold on the council has loosened over recent years.
