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Revision as of 08:03, 10 May 2010 by LibStar (talk | contribs) (move to own article)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) For the individual settlement, see Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. City and metropolitan borough in England| Sunderland | |
|---|---|
| City and metropolitan borough | |
| City of Sunderland | |
 View of Sunderland towards the River Wear and North Sea | |
| Coat of arms of SunderlandCoat of arms | |
 Sunderland within Tyne and Wear and England | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Constituency | England |
| County | Tyne and Wear |
| Established | 1 April 1974 |
| Admin HQ | Sunderland |
| Government | |
| • Type | Leader and Cabinet |
| • MPs | Bill Etherington Sharon Hodgson Fraser Kemp Chris Mullin |
| Area | |
| • Land | 137.46 km (53.07 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 280,807 |
| • Estimate | 280,300 |
| • Density | 2,042.8/km (5,291/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (British Standard Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (British Summer Time) |
| Website | Sunderland |
The City of Sunderland (Template:Pron-en) is a local government district of Tyne and Wear, in North East England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Sunderland, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Washington, Houghton-le-Spring, and other smaller settlements.
The district was formed in 1974 as the Metropolitan Borough of Sunderland as part of the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 and is an amalgamation of four former local government districts of County Durham. It was granted city status in 1992, the 40th anniversary of the Queen Elizabeth II's accession. The city had a population of 280,807 at the time of the 2001 census, with the majority of the population (177,739) residing in Sunderland.
History
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The metropolitan borough was formed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 by the merger of several districts of County Durham - Washington Urban District, Houghton-le-Spring Urban District and Hetton Urban District - with the County Borough of Sunderland.
The metropolitan borough was granted city status in 1992, the 40th anniversary of the Queen's accession. At the Queen's Golden Jubilee the city petitioned to be allowed a Lord Mayor, but was unsuccessful. Although the city does not have a Cathedral, as it is located in the Diocese of Durham, it does have Sunderland Minster.
HMS Ocean, the Royal Navy's biggest warship, is Sunderland's adopted ship. In March 2004 it was granted the freedom of the City. St Benedict Biscop was adopted as the City's Patron Saint in March 2004.
International relations
Main article: List of twin towns in the United KingdomTwin towns — Sister cities
Sunderland is twinned with:
Essen, Germany
Saint-Nazaire, France
Washington, DC, USA
Harbin, People's Republic of China- Nanjing, People's Republic of China
In June 2006, officials from Sunderland and Washington, D.C signed a Friendship Agreement, hoping to promote the cultural and economic ties between the two cities. The cities share historical links, as the ancestors of the first President of the United States of America, George Washington, lived in Washington Old Hall, which is within the municipal boundaries of Sunderland.
City government
Boundary review 2004
Like all metropolitan authorities, the city is divided into a number of wards or electoral districts. Each has three councillors elected for a four-year term. One third of councillors face re-election each year, and no city elections are held in the fourth year of the election cycle - this was when each ward's sole metropolitan county councillor was elected, prior to the county council's abolition in 1986.
The City has 25 such wards. When the boundaries of these wards were set in 1982, each ward had a roughly equal population. By 2004 there had been a considerable shift in population. In particular, the east and south east – the old parish of Sunderland and the mining village of Ryhope – had lost population to the "New Town" of Washington. As a result the boundaries were redrawn; Sunderland lost one ward and Washington gained one. Elections for all 75 councillors were held on 10 June 2004.
Functions
The Local Government Act 1972 created two different two-tier systems for local administration, with different division of functions. As a metropolitan authority, Sunderland retained responsibility for waste collection, although disposal of the garbage was a county function, and for education. In 1986, when Tyne and Wear Metropolitan County Council was abolished, most county functions became the responsibility of the constituent districts, whilst new joint boards assumed the co-ordinating roles in the county. Thus control over economic development, of the Museums and Archive Service, of the Tyne and Wear Fire and Civil Defence Authority and of the Passenger Transport Authority is exercised not by committees of directly elected county councillors but by nominees chosen by the elected members of the five district authorities.
Sunderland has not had a separate police force since 1967, when the Borough of Sunderland Police merged with Durham Constabulary. The City is now part of the Northumbria Police Force area. This force was set up in 1974, and covers the whole of Tyne and Wear plus the much larger but much less densely populated county of Northumberland.
The city is unparished, except for Hetton-le-Hole which is a civil parish, and which has a town council.
Political structure
The City has had a Labour controlled council since 1974, and often before that. After the elections of May 2003 the political structure was 63 Labour, 9 Conservative, and 1 independent. The only Liberal Party councillor sat with the only Liberal Democrat as a "Liberal/Democrat" group. Three Councillors resigned from the Labour Party following disputes over the selection of candidates for the 2004 elections. Two became independent members; one joined the Liberal Democrat party, becoming group leader after the 2004 municipal elections.
The reorganisation of electoral areas saw major changes in all but two wards, but the elections of 10 June 2004, the first fought under the new boundaries, saw little change in the political representation of the City as a whole, with 61 Labour, 12 Conservative, and 2 Liberal Democrat councillors elected.
The Conservative party won all three seats in a new ward whose boundaries spanned several old wards. The Liberal Democrats stronghold ward was abolished entirely, and became part of four new wards, and the Liberal Democrat councillors elected in 2004 were from two very different areas.
Following further disputes within the Labour Party, 3 councillors resigned the whip at the end of 2006 and, joined by one of the liberal democrat members formed an independent group, which is the minority party in opposition.
At the elections of May 2007, the Labour Party continued their decline. Labour lost three seats to the Conservatives, whilst former Labour Mayor Mrs Julianna Heron lost to an independent: the same person who had defeated her husband in 2003 and who was in turn defeated by him in 2004.
The Conservative party made further significant gains in May 2008, gaining five additional seats and strengthening their support in others.
The Council composition for 2008/9 is: 48 Labour members, 22 Conservatives, 4 Independents, and 1 Liberal Democrat.
Parliamentary Constituencies
There are three constituencies wholly within the city, and one constituency partially in Sunderland and partially in Gateshead:
The Boundary Commission for England has proposed reducing the number of MPs in Tyne and Wear by one. It is therefore recommending substantial boundary changes, creating Sunderland Central, Sunderland North & Washington and Sunderland South & Houghton seats. This would concentrate the city's Conservative support into a single Parliamentary seat, Sunderland Central, making it a marginal constituency by some estimates, including that of Sunderland South MP Chris Mullin. Under these changes, all of Washington would be included in the Sunderland North & Washington seat, rather than being shared with Gateshead as the Gateshead East and Washington West constituency.
In the 1992, 1997, 2001 and 2005 General Elections, the Sunderland South constituency was the first to declare the results.
The whole City of Sunderland is within the North East England European Parliamentary constituency.
Education
- Sunderland is home to the University of Sunderland.
- Further Education (FE) is provided by the City of Sunderland College, which has campuses around the city, as well as three Catholic Sixth Form Colleges: St Robert of Newminster in Washington for boys and girls, and St Anthony's for girls and St Aidan's for boys, both in Sunderland.
Culture
Dialect
Main article: MackemThe Mackem accent and dialect is often mistaken for Geordie to people not from the region, as the two tongues share several similarities in pronunciation and diction.
Regeneration and Future developments
Since the mid 1980's Sunderland has undergone massive regeneration, particularly around the central business district and the river corridor.
Sunderland City Council's Unitary Development Plan (UDP) outlines ambitious regeneration plans for a number of sites around the city. The plans are supported by Sunderland Arc, an urban regeneration company funded by the City council, One NorthEast and English Partnerships.
Main article: Future developments in City of SunderlandCulture
Literature and art
Lewis Carroll was a frequent visitor to the area. He wrote most of Jabberwocky at Whitburn as well as "The Walrus and the Carpenter". Some parts of the area are also widely believed to be the inspiration for his Alice in Wonderland stories, such as Hylton Castle and Backhouse Park. There is a statue to Carroll in Whitburn library. Lewis Carroll was also a visitor to the Rectory of Holy Trinity Church, Southwick; then a township independent of Sunderland. Carroll's connection with Sunderland, and the area's history, is documented in Bryan Talbot's 2007 graphic novel Alice in Sunderland. More recently, Sunderland-born Terry Deary, writer of the series of Horrible Histories books, has achieved fame and success, and many others such as thriller writer Sheila Quigley, are following his lead.
The Manchester-born painter, L. S. Lowry, was a frequent visitor, staying in the Seaburn Hotel in Sunderland. Many of his paintings of seascapes and shipbuilding are based on Wearside scenes. The Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art on Fawcett Street and Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens showcase exhibitions and installations from up-and-coming and established artists alike, with the latter holding an extensive collection of LS Lowry. The National Glass Centre on Liberty Way also exhibits a number of glass sculptures.
Music
Main article: Bands and musicians from Yorkshire and North East EnglandSunderland has produced a modest number of musicians that have gone on to reach international fame, most notably Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics. Kenickie, which featured Lauren Laverne on vocals, also achieved a top ten album and wide critical acclaim in the mid-to-late-1990s. In recent years, a thriving underground music scene in Sunderland has helped the likes of The Futureheads and Field Music gain national recognition.
Other famous Mackem musicians include punk rockers The Toy Dolls, who broke the top five of the charts with "Nellie the Elephant" in December 1984; the punk rock band Leatherface; the lead singer of dance outfit Olive, Ruth Ann Boyle, who achieved a UK chart-topper with "You're Not Alone" in May 1997, and has gone on to work with fellow chart-toppers Enigma; A Tribe of Toffs made number 21 with their cult hit "John Kettley is a Weatherman" in December 1988; Alex Kapranos of the band Franz Ferdinand also grew up in Sunderland and South Shields.
On May 7 and 8th 2005, Sunderland played host to BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend concert - the UK's largest free music festival. The event, held at Herrington Country Park in the shadow of Penshaw Monument, was attended by 30,000 visitors and featured Foo Fighters, Kasabian, KT Tunstall, Chemical Brothers and The Black Eyed Peas.
The Empire Theatre sometimes plays host to music acts. Recently it has hosted acts as diverse as Morrissey, Deacon Blue, McFly and Journey South and in its distinguished history it has also welcomed world-renowned bands such as The Beatles and The Kinks. In 2009 it hosts Jane McDonald and The Drifters among others.
Campus (formerly The Manor Quay, the students' union nightclub on St. Peter's Riverside at the University of Sunderland, has also hosted the Arctic Monkeys, Maxïmo Park, 911, the Levellers and Girls Aloud in recent years and has now had Ne-Yo, Little Boots and N-Dubz perform in Campus..
The Sunderland Stadium of Light is home to Sunderland AFC.
Theatre
The Sunderland Empire Theatre, opened in 1907, is the largest theatre in the North East, reopened in December 2004 following a major redevelopment allowing it to stage West End shows such as Miss Saigon, Starlight Express and My Fair Lady, all of which have been performed at the Empire. The Empire is the only theatre between Leeds and Glasgow large enough to accommodate such shows. The Empire has also recently played host to a diverse range of comedy performers such as Ricky Gervais, Roy Chubby Brown, Jimmy Carr, Al Murray, Little Britain, Mark Lamarr and The League of Gentlemen. It has also played host to an annual season from the Birmingham Royal Ballet for over ten years.
The Royalty Theatre is the home to the (amateur) Royalty Theatre group who also put on a number of low-budget productions throughout the year. Renowned film producer David Parfitt belonged to this company before achieving worldwide fame and is now a patron of the theatre.
The Empire also played host to the final performance of British comic actor Sid James who died of a heart attack whilst on stage in 1976.
Media, film and television
Sunderland has two local newspapers: the daily evening tabloid The Sunderland Echo, founded in 1873, and the Sunderland Star - a free newspaper. It also has its own local radio station Sun FM,a community radio station Spark FM and a hospital radio station - Radio Sunderland for Hospitals, and can receive other north-eastern independent radio stations Metro Radio, Magic 1152, Galaxy North East and Century Radio. The current regional BBC radio station is BBC Radio Newcastle The regional DAB multiplex for the Sunderland area is operated by Bauer DIGITAL RADIO LTD. - owned by Bauer Digital Radio plc. The city is covered by BBC North East and Cumbria and ITV's Tyne Tees franchise, which has a regional office in the University's Media Centre.. Sunderland and its surrounding area is also referenced in The Catherine Tate Show numerous times.
Sunderland's first film company was established in 2008; and is known as "Tanner Films Ltd" and is based in the Sunniside area of the city. The companies first film, "King of the North" starring Angus MacFadyen and set in the Hetton-le-Hole area of the city; is currently under production.
Sport
The only professional sporting team in Sunderland is the football team, Sunderland A.F.C., which was formed in 1879. Finishing 16th in the English Premier League in the 2008-09 season, Sunderland retains its status in the country's top division in 2009-10 and plays its home games at the 49,000 seat capacity Stadium of Light. Sunderland also has the north-east's top women's football team, Sunderland A.F.C. Women, who have been financially separated from the men's team since summer 2005. They currently play in the top tier of English women's football - FA Women's Premier League National Division, despite their financial struggles. Sunderland were league champions six times within the Football League's first half century, but have not achieved this accolade since 1936. Their other notable successes include FA Cup glory in 1937 and 1973 and winning the Division One title with a (then) English league record of 105 points in 1999. Sunderland's longest stadium occupancy so far was of Roker Park for 99 years beginning in 1898, with relocation taking place due to the stadium's confined location and the need to build an all-seater stadium. The initial relocation plan had been for a stadium to be situated alongside the Nissan factory, but these were abandoned in favour of the Stadium of Light at Monkwearmouth on the site of a colliery that had closed at the end of 1993. The City also has two non-league sides, Sunderland Nissan F.C. of the Northern League Division One and Sunderland Ryhope Community Association F.C. of the Northern League Division Two.
See also
References
- http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/profiles/00cm.asp statistics.gov.uk
- "List of Twin Towns in the Ruhr Destrict" (PDF). © 2009 Twins2010.com. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
{{cite web}}: External link in|publisher= - "Sunderland Unitary Development Plan". 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2009-03-10.
- "The Walrus and the Carpenter". Sunderland and East Durham History. Retrieved 2007-01-18.
- Alice in Sunderland, Bryan Talbot, 2007, ISBN 978-1593076733
- Robertson, Ross (2007-03-27). "News focus: Alice in Pictureland". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 2007-03-29.
- "Grandmother has write stuff". BBC News. 2003-05-06. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
- "Masters of Art". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 2007-01-18.
- "Radio 1's Big Weekend: Penshaw Monument, Herrington Park, Sunderland". BBC Radio 1. Retrieved 2007-02-26.
- "Local boys shine at Sunderland's Big Weekend". BBC News. Retrieved 2007-02-26.
- "The Sunderland Empire Theatre". Sunderland City Council. Retrieved 2007-01-18.
- http://www.sunderlandecho.com/retro1950s/1958-Empire39s-dark-days.4178500.jp
- http://gostridge.net/page.php?pageid=14
- http://www.sunderlandecho.com/retro1980s/1989-Ghostly-tale.4331124.jp
- "Newspaper Report for the publication: Sunderland Star". The Newspaper Society. Retrieved 2007-03-06.
- "Julia Barthram". ITV Tyne Tees. Retrieved 2007-03-06.
- $6 Million film deal for North East Murder film
- "SAFC history 1879-1889". SAFC website. 2008-01-02. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
- "SAFC Previous Grounds / History / Previous Grounds". SAFC website. 2008-01-02. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
{{cite news}}: line feed character in|title=at position 22 (help) - "Sunderland Cricket Club". SAFC website. 2008-01-02. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
External links
- Sunderland Council
- DMOZ (Note these links are not the same!)
- Wearside Online
 Districts of North East England | ||
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| County Durham |  | |
| Northumberland | ||
| Tyne and Wear | ||
| Teesside, North Yorkshire | ||
54°54′36″N 1°23′06″W / 54.910°N 1.385°W / 54.910; -1.385