County Durham is a large county with a wide range of settlements and landscapes. This page gives you an overview of the the county and Durham County Council.
What is Durham County Council?
Durham County Council is made up of an elected assembly of 126 councillors accountable to almost 500,000 people in County Durham. The council is responsible for providing a wide range of public services to the people of the county.
The council also represents and promotes the interests of County Durham when dealing with regional, national and international affairs. Through effective local government, Durham County Council allows local people to look after their own affairs and to decide how and where money is best spent in their area.
The council's powers and responsibilities are determined by Parliament with county council elections held every four years. The most recent election was held in May 2008 and the next one is expected to be held in 2013.
Constitution and structure
Durham County Council is a ‘unitary’ council. This means that it provides the majority of local authority services in County Durham. We work with a range of partners to provide our services in the best possible way.
The county council’s decision-making structure consists of a Cabinet of ten councillors which sits on a fortnightly basis to make decisions to implement the council’s policies and budgets. An Overview and Scrutiny Committee examines Cabinet’s decisions while the full council of 126 councillors ratifies Cabinet’s decisions.
Major issues to be discussed are published in Cabinet’s Forward Plan which describes the decisions to be made, who is responsible for making them and when.
By law, Cabinet is not allowed to make some decisions. So in addition to Cabinet we have Regulatory Committees to make decisions on issues such as planning and highways.
The decision-making structure is designed to make the council's processes more transparent. The Constitution of the council sets out how the council operates, how decisions are made and the rules and procedures which are followed to ensure that these are efficient, transparent and accountable to local people. We also operate a public question time at cabinet and full council meetings and they are both open to the public.
Our Area Action Partnerships involve our partners, local people and organisations in the council’s work, to allow various public, voluntary and community organisations as well as individuals to have a say in how local services are provided to their area.
Decision Making Structure.pdf (1 page, 61kb)
Services
We provide services to all parts of the county to meet the needs of our residents and help everyone in County Durham to achieve their ambitions.
Durham County Council is made up of six service areas - Assistant Chief Executive's Office; Adults, Wellbeing and Health; Children and Young People's Services; Neighbourhood Services; Regeneration and Economic Development; Resources - which are responsible for providing a wide range of services for the people of County Durham.
Durham County Council structure
Where did we come from?
Throughout history, County Durham has been strategically important to settlers ranging from the Romans to the Angles, Saxons and Normans. Northumbria became the leading centre of the Christian church in Britain with the foundation of Durham Cathedral in 1093 acting as a lasting reminder of the County’s legacy to Christian worship in Britain.
Following the Norman Conquests, William the Conqueror invested the Bishops of Durham with combined secular and spiritual powers to control the modern counties of Cleveland, Durham and Tyne and Wear. The Prince Bishops levied taxes, raised armies, minted money, controlled the courts and were effectively ‘kings’ of North East England until their powers were dramatically diminished by Henry VIII in 1536.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, County Durham became a world leader in the Industrial Revolution, with the county’s development based upon coal and iron production. The area’s influence on the world was demonstrated by the development of the world’s first passenger steam railway at Stockton and Darlington in 1825.
Durham County Council was established, along with other county councils in England and Wales, in 1888 and started life with a small Conservative majority, unlike its present and long-standing Labour majority.
Where are we now?
Arising from its background of historical importance and a rich cultural heritage, Durham County Council’s vision is: "A council committed to developing a prosperous, safe and sustainable future for County Durham, listening to and working with local people, leading and shaping our communities and working in partnership to ensure quality, cost effective services.”
Within our mission, we have six main aims:
- Being outward facing and ambitious and raising the profile of the county and the council
- Being customer focused and accessible with contact points across the county
- Engaging and empowering communities and having good communication between local areas and the Council to influence decision-making
- Organising and providing services in a modern and flexible way
- Making efficient and effective use of resources
- Working in partnership and striving for excellence and innovation in service delivery to improve outcomes for local people
These aims inform and direct all of our activities and ensure that all those working for Durham County Council are focused on providing an excellent service to the people of the county.
County Durham has nearly 500,000 people living in 219,000 households. The county covers an area of 223,260 Hectares with 12 major centres of population including Durham City, Chester-le-Street, Newton Aycliffe, Consett and Peterlee.
Continued investment and the arrival of a range of new hi-tech businesses including telecommunications, advanced electronics and pharmaceutical and bio-tech companies have helped industry to diversify and grow in the county. Businesses in County Durham are adding to the success of the economy not only within the county but also in the North East of England and the rest of the country.
Durham County Council in Numbers
(as of April 2009)
- 22,000 people work for Durham County Council.
- We dispose of 260,000 tonnes of household waste.
- There are 310 schools in the county.
- There are 39 branch libraries.
- We run three museums.
- We have 126 county councillors.
- 68 Labour councillors.
- 27 Liberal Democrat councillors.
- 9 Conservative councillors.
- 21 Independent councillors.
- 1 Vacant seat.
- Durham County Council has a budget of around £1.2 billion.
County Durham in Numbers
(as of April 2009)
- 493,500 people live in County Durham.
- 38,000 people live in the City of Durham.
- There are 219,000 households in the county.
- The county covers an area of 223,260 Hectares.
- There are 12 major centres of population (over 5,000 people).
- The average age of people in County Durham is between 35 and 39 years old.
- 53 miles of motorway run through the county.
- Durham City is 265 miles from London and 125 miles from Edinburgh.
- 142,000 Hectares of the county is agricultural land.
- There are 190 ancient monuments in the county.
- 25% of working people are employed in manufacturing in County Durham.
- 67% are employed in the service sector.