In 1907, Smiths Dock Company, a firm of shipbuilders from North Shields, set up part of its business on the River Tees at South Bank.

[13] Smiths Dock built ships that served during the Second World War, including trawlers that the Admiralty requisitioned and converted to armed trawlers of the Royal Naval Patrol Service such as HMT Amethyst or HMT Arab, in which Lieutenant Richard Stannard (RNR) won the Victoria Cross.

[15] In 1968, the company completed the first British-built and owned container ship, Manchester Challenge of 12,039 gross register tons.

South Bank's shipbuilding era came to an end on 15 October 1986, when the last ship was launched from Smith's Dock, the shipyard itself closing in February 1987.

South Bank is part of the Redcar Parliamentary constituency, which is represented by Jacob Young of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons.

In the 2023 local elections, the following members were returned to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council: The Catholic parish of St. Peter was created in 1874, followed by St. Mary's, in nearby Grangetown, in 1886.

[19] Other established places of worship include the Redcar and Cleveland Islamic and Quranic Cultural Association, which mostly serves the Bangladeshi community.