Before (end of 1975) (78 seats, Elections Centre)
Labour 52 · Conservative 23 · Other 2 · The Liberal Party 1
After (end of 1976) (78 seats, Elections Centre)
Labour 49 · Conservative 26 · The Liberal Party 2 · Other 1
Ward results
No. 16 (Sunderland: Silksworth)1 seat · turnout 30.2%
| R. Hunter | Labour | 1,890 |
| C. Smith | Conservative | 524 |
| C. Lee | LIB | 292 |
No. 22 (Houghton-Le-Spring)1 seat · turnout 35.7%
| J. Bartley | Labour | 1,223 |
| J. Bartley | Labour | 1,223 ✓ |
| K. O'Hara | LIB | 988 |
| K. O'Hara | The Liberal Party | 988 |
| L. Davidson | Conservative | 636 |
| L. Davidson | Conservative | 636 |
No. 24 (Penshaw & Herrington)1 seat · turnout 30.5%
| J. Mawston | Labour | 1,788 |
| I. Blyth | Conservative | 742 |
No. 7 (Sunderland: Ford & Pennywell)1 seat · turnout 19.9%
| M. Qualie | Labour | 1,517 |
| P. Wood | Conservative | 764 |
| M. Glasper | COMM | 101 |
No. 8 (Sunderland: Fulwell)1 seat · turnout 50.4%
| P. Astill | Conservative | 2,578 |
| R. Atkinson | LIB | 1,247 |
| G. Robson | Labour | 417 |
St Chad's1 seat
| L. Appleton | Conservative | 1,683 |
| E. Glanville | Labour | 901 |
| A. Petrov | LIB | 437 |