Before (end of 2002) (40 seats, Elections Centre)
Labour 30 · Liberal Democrats 5 · Other 5 · Conservative 0
After (end of 2003) (40 seats, Elections Centre)
Labour 25 · Liberal Democrats 9 · Other 6 · Conservative 0
Ward results
Bishop Auckland Town2 seats
| M. Jones | Labour | 425 |
| S. Gregory | Independent | 421 |
| W. Wade | Labour | 389 |
| E. Marriott | Liberal Democrats | 284 |
| K. Hodgson | Liberal Democrats | 279 |
Cockton Hill3 seats · turnout 44.9%
| Barbara Laurie | Labour | 849 ✓ |
| Neil Harrison | Liberal Democrats | 772 ✓ |
| Alan Anderson | Liberal Democrats | 767 ✓ |
| Joseph Harrison | Liberal Democrats | 755 |
| Jack Tobin | Labour | 719 |
| Keith Stokeld | Labour | 658 |
| James Tague | Conservative | 626 |
Coundon3 seats
| N. Stonehouse | Labour | 879 |
| J. Hilditch | Labour | 784 |
| T. Taylor | Liberal Democrats | 743 |
| A. Dargue | Liberal Democrats | 693 |
| T. Russell | Liberal Democrats | 670 |
| Lethbridge J. | Labour | 652 |
Crook North1 seat · turnout 54.5%
| Wilfred Dobinson | Labour | 406 ✓ |
| Angeline Groves | Liberal Democrats | 306 |
Crook South3 seats · turnout 42.4%
| Olive Brown | Labour | 1,235 ✓ |
| Geoffrey Mowbray | Labour | 1,004 ✓ |
| Eddie Murphy | Labour | 941 ✓ |
| Peter Rayner | Liberal Democrats | 628 |
| David English | Liberal Democrats | 547 |
| Bernice English | Liberal Democrats | 462 |
Dene Valley2 seats · turnout 45.7%
| Chris Foote-Wood | Liberal Democrats | 653 ✓ |
| Dorothy Burn | Liberal Democrats | 576 ✓ |
| Margaret Ingledew | Labour | 399 |
| Sandra Lethbridge | Labour | 330 |
Escomb2 seats · turnout 42.3%
| Vince Perkins | Liberal Democrats | 579 ✓ |
| Derek Jago | Liberal Democrats | 573 ✓ |
| Harold Douthwaite | Labour | 436 |
| Kevin Graham | Labour | 373 |
Henknowle2 seats · turnout 44.6%
| Betty Todd | Liberal Democrats | 659 ✓ |
| Alex Clements | Labour | 658 ✓ |
| Derrick Waldock | Labour | 584 |
| Kenneth Bowser | Liberal Democrats | 455 |
| George Hewitt | Independent | 256 |
| Lee Thornton | BNP | 67 |
Hunwick1 seat · turnout 51.5%
| David Nevins | Labour | 324 ✓ |
| Robert Longhorn | Liberal Democrats | 314 |
St. Johns Chapel1 seat
| John Shuttleworth | Independent | 0 ✓ |
Stanhope2 seats · turnout 48.4%
| Thomas Mews | Independent | 974 ✓ |
| Graeme McKellar | Labour | 537 ✓ |
| John Chatfield | Liberal Democrats | 530 |
| Dorothy Allan | Liberal Democrats | 348 |
| Michael Letchford | Conservative | 320 |
Tow Law and Stanley3 seats · turnout 38.6%
| Jeffrey Gale | Labour | 786 ✓ |
| Colin Hayton | Labour | 695 ✓ |
| Ronald Grogan | Independent | 683 ✓ |
| Edward Tomlinson | Labour | 481 |
| John Bailey | Liberal Democrats | 391 |
| Richard Hall | Liberal Democrats | 329 |
West Auckland3 seats
| J Ferguson | Liberal Democrats | 910 |
| P. Harker | Labour | 893 |
| M. Douthwaite | Labour | 882 |
| A. Turner | Labour | 738 |
| Isabel Bousfield | Labour | 826 ✓ |
| Jeffrey Moody | Labour | 700 ✓ |
| David Halliday | Liberal Democrats | 360 |
Willington Central3 seats · turnout 32.6%
| Margaret Pinkney | Labour | 1,219 ✓ |
| Alan Sinclair | Labour | 1,038 ✓ |
| Alan Townsend | Labour | 1,026 ✓ |
| Anne Glynn | Liberal Democrats | 698 |
Willington West End1 seat · turnout 55.1%
| David Kingston | Labour | 357 ✓ |
| Stephen Longhorn | Liberal Democrats | 225 |
Wolsingham and Witton-le-Wear2 seats · turnout 45.0%
| Vere Shuttleworth | Independent | 1,046 ✓ |
| Desmond Wilson | Independent | 872 ✓ |
| Peter Graham | Labour | 348 |
Woodhouse Close3 seats
| R. Langham | Labour | 862 |
| Jean Lee | Labour | 850 |
| D. Wilson | Labour | 822 |
| C. Sanderson | Liberal Democrats | 504 |
| J. Thornton | BNP | 107 |