A proposal to reduce the number of councillors to 41 will be submitted to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE). The first part of the review will look at the total number of councillors to be elected in future before reviewing the council's wards. Councillors representing each political party will be invited to present proposals for new ward boundaries, which will then be reviewed. The LGBCE will use the responses to the initial consultation phase to draw up draft recommendations for new ward boundaries across the borough. Darlington Borough Council is expected to be notified of the LGBCE’s decision on council size in mid-November 2025.