This council: flagship · Adult Social Care · Asylum and Migration · Children's services and safeguarding · Climate · Council Spending and Efficiency · Devolution and local government reorganisation · Heritage · Housing, planning and local plans · Outsourcing of public services · Renaming and rebranding · Roads, highways and potholes · SEND and home-to-school transport · Support for (or hostility to) women · Waste, recycling and bins
Reform UK has led Durham County Council since May 2025 (source).
A new Reform UK administration took office at Durham County Council after the May 2025 election.[1][2] In July 2025 the council voted to rescind its Climate Emergency Declaration and to declare a County Durham Care Emergency in its place.[3] It resolved to remove the council's net zero targets.[1] In September 2025 it cancelled a solar panels programme worth £21.3m in the capital programme.[4] It adopted its first budget in February 2026.[2]
On 16 July 2025 Durham County Council resolved to rescind the Climate Emergency Declaration it had made on 20 February 2019, on a motion moved by Councillor D Grimes and seconded by Councillor K Allison.[3] The rescission was part of a wider motion declaring a County Durham Care Emergency.[3] An opposition amendment to strip out the rescission was lost by 24 votes to 61, and the substantive motion was then carried by 62 votes to 7, with 17 abstentions.[3] The council also resolved to remove its net zero targets, and the Audit Committee later recorded that the Climate Change entry had been deleted from the Strategic Risk Register because the target it referred to no longer existed.[1] The council's Climate Emergency Response Plan, which in its third iteration had run to 232 actions across eight themes, was withdrawn, with only preliminary work begun on a replacement Environmental Plan.[5]
At Cabinet on 17 September 2025 the administration cancelled the solar panels on council buildings project as part of a wider capital review of decarbonisation schemes.[4] The decision removed £21.3m from the capital programme, of which £9.2m was self-financing borrowing that was to have been repaid from future energy-cost savings.[4] Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Finance Councillor Grimes said the administration had passed a democratic verdict in undeclaring climate alarmism and was choosing wheelchairs over windmills.[4][6] A call-in of the cancellation went to the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Management Board on 8 October 2025, where officers explained the original business case had been approved when the council held a net-zero-by-2030 target and a declared climate emergency, since undeclared.[7][8] A motion to defer the cancellation to a working group for further review was lost by 8 votes to 9, leaving the cancellation in effect.[8] At Cabinet on 15 October 2025 the Leader confirmed the administration would not reconsider its climate-emergency stance, despite consultation responses showing majority public support for net zero.[6]
On 2 July 2025 the County Planning Committee refused a ground-mounted solar farm on landscape-harm grounds, against officers' recommendation to approve and a warning from the Planning Lawyer that the reason was not sustainable and risked costs at appeal.[9] By February 2026 the council had refused six solar farm applications, two of them including battery storage, though two of those refusals were later overturned on appeal.[10]
At full Council on 28 January 2026 the Reform majority voted down an opposition amendment committing the council to continue its clean energy programme, including onshore wind.[11] It instead carried a motion to move the council's environmental approach away from a protect at all costs approach and toward exploring oil, gas, coal, lithium and geothermal resources for economic growth.[11] Presenting its statutory Local Nature Recovery Strategy in March 2026, the administration reframed environmental policy around practical environmental stewardship and pragmatism, and said it would not take part in performative climate activism.[12] The Deputy Leader later reported that £2.2m had been generated in the budget by removing the cost of chasing net zero targets, alongside dropping fleet electrification.[13]
In June 2025 the Leader described bringing Reform's Department of Local Government Efficiency (DOLGE, or DOGE) into the council to audit its books, alongside an LGA Corporate Peer Challenge, as part of an ambition to eliminate waste.[14] The Audit Committee heard on 27 June 2025 that there were no plans to bring in further auditors, that the council had not had a DOLGE visit, and that no data had been provided to Reform UK or any outside body not commissioned by the council.[15] At Cabinet on 21 July 2025 the DOLGE work was still described as being planned, with governance arrangements to be established for any data-related activity.[16] By the February 2026 budget meeting the Corporate Director of Resources confirmed the council had had no engagement with the DOGE initiative and that no savings had come from it.[17] The Leader instead characterised DOGE as an internal culture of members and officers scrutinising the budget line by line for underspends.[18]
The council adopted its Medium Term Financial Plan and 2026/27 budget on 18 February 2026, the first of the Reform administration, moved by Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Finance Councillor Grimes.[2] Cabinet had recommended a savings plan of £5.7m of earlier MTFP(15) savings and £9.8m of new MTFP(16) savings, against a net budget requirement of £674.1m.[19]
The savings package reduced the professional fees budget by £0.1m, cutting the use of consultants after a full-time project manager was appointed in-house.[20] Reduced professional fees, including the use of consultants, were listed among a £5.7m package of back-office and operational efficiencies.[21] The package also deleted the NETPark Project Director post within Business Durham, saving £68,200 a year.[22]
The Government set the 2026/27 council tax referendum limit at 2.99%, with social care authorities given the option of an additional 2% adult social care precept, and Cabinet's budget guidance had been to raise council tax by the maximum permitted.[23] Cabinet had recommended a combined 3.10% rise for 2026/27: a 1.10% core council tax increase plus the maximum 2% adult social care precept.[24] Following the final local government finance settlement on 9 February 2026, and extra Recovery Grant funding, Cabinet revised the rise down to 1.99%, applying it entirely as the adult social care precept with no core council tax increase, below the maximum permitted.[25] County Council resolved the 2026/27 council tax on 18 February 2026 by a recorded vote, carried with 24 councillors against and 3 abstentions, setting the social care precept at £364.09 at Band D.[26]
The council's initial September 2025 budget assumption was a 5% rise in the National Living Wage and a 3.0% rise in CPI for adult social care provider fees in 2026/27.[27] By November 2025 it quantified the 2026/27 increase in payments to home care, extra care, residential and nursing providers at £10.0m, driven by the confirmed 4.1% National Living Wage rise to £12.71 an hour and CPI growth in provider contracts.[28] Rather than setting a single provider fee percentage, the January 2026 Cabinet decisions updated the cost assumptions to the confirmed National Living Wage rate and the CPI-linked uplifts written into the provider contract.[29]
The council introduced a new charge of £2.00 per journey from 2026/27 for people accessing Learning Disability day provision through its internal fleet transport, forecast to save around £14,000, as part of its Adult and Health Services budget savings.[30] Budget consultation feedback recorded strong objection to the charge: it was the single most-cited concern, drawing 61 objections, with respondents describing charging for learning disability transport as unfair and harmful to disabled people and their families.[31]
County Durham's early help offer was externally endorsed rather than reduced.[32] In September 2025 the Health and Wellbeing Board recorded an Ofsted inspection finding that early intervention and support offered via the family hubs was accessible and successfully reducing the need for statutory intervention for many families.[32]
On 11 February 2026 Cabinet agreed to cease the Maintained Concessionary Scheme, a discretionary home-to-school transport scheme, at the end of the 2025/26 academic year.[33] The scheme covered some non-entitled travel to school and had been operating at a loss of around £200,000 a year.[33] The same Cabinet meeting agreed a review of post-16 transport, with proposals due back in autumn 2026.[34] The report recorded home-to-school transport as one of the council's fastest growing financial pressures, driven mainly by rising demand for SEND transport.[34]
Cabinet recommended that County Council on 18 February 2026 include £263.666m of additional new capital investment in the MTFP(16) capital programme, financed by £113.3m of additional capital grants and £150.366m of prudential and self-financing borrowing.[35] At that County Council budget meeting the Reform leader cited over £78m of new transport and road projects among the administration's investment plans, subject to the regional mayor ensuring County Durham received its fair share of capital allocations, topped up by a commitment to borrow to invest in transport infrastructure.[36] Cabinet's MTFP(16) budget report of 21 January 2026 separately set out continued capital investment of £47m in highways maintenance for 2026/27 to 2029/30, alongside £15m for highway structures, £4m for footways, £1.5m for drainage and £1.1m for street lighting.[37]
Durham County Council retained its charge for garden waste collection, and residents will face an increase in the charge from 2026.[38] At the Environment and Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 24 November 2025, officers said garden waste collection is an optional service not included in Council Tax charges, and that Durham's charge compared favourably with other areas.[38] Garden waste was listed among the income-generation opportunities in the council's November 2025 budget savings proposals, which set out £10.057m of new savings including £2.971m over four years from income generation.[39]
No motion to postpone or cancel scheduled elections pending reorganisation was found in County Durham's published minutes; as an existing unitary authority the council's scheduled elections went ahead as normal.[40] A September 2025 Cabinet report referred to reorganisation-related work as a Cabinet priority commenced following the May 2025 council elections.[40] County Durham is already a unitary authority, formed in 2009, and no vote or motion on adopting a new preferred unitary geography for County Durham itself was found.[41] The council's Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation response, in Cabinet's 17 September 2025 MTFP16 report, framed the current wave of local government reorganisation as a process for other, still two-tier, areas invited to bid to become single-tier authorities.[41]
County Durham remained an existing member of the North East Combined Authority (NECA) under a signed devolution deal.[42] A joint letter to the Secretary of State in Cabinet's 17 September 2025 MTFP16 report, sent on behalf of County Durham and six other North East authorities together with the Mayor of NECA, showed continued participation in the mayoral combined authority after Reform took control.[42]
Durham County Council's new County Durham Plan continued to progress under the Reform-led administration; Cabinet approval to start work on a new Plan was given in March 2025, with political support reaffirmed after the May 2025 elections.[43] The council gave formal notice of its intention to prepare the new Plan on 25 March 2026 under the revised plan-making system, with a scoping report out for consultation on a timetable targeting submission in May 2028 and adoption in March 2029.[43]
County Durham is one of seven partner authorities in an active procurement for a new residual waste treatment contract, the Tees Valley Energy Recovery Facility, a 29-year deal to treat up to 450,000 tonnes of regional waste a year from 2029 once the current contract ends in 2030.[44] Cabinet's November 2025 MTFP report recorded that the council remains committed to the scheme, and at County Council on 22 October 2025 the Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood, Environment and Police Relations said a preferred tenderer had been appointed and negotiations had achieved savings against the originally proposed deal.[44]
County Durham's Children and Young People's Overview and Scrutiny Committee heard on 13 November 2025 that a trial of three home-to-school transport routes using an in-house fleet, instead of externally contracted transport, was saving £292.10 a day (£55,481 over a 190-day school year).[45] Cabinet's home-to-school transport transformation programme, moved on 11 February 2026, recorded that increased use of in-house fleets had helped stabilise the transport budget, with a full review to consider transferring five further routes to in-house provision once the trial ended.[45] Cabinet approved a £3.938m capital purchase of 25 housing units for children in care and care leavers on 6 May 2026, ending reliance on the 26 properties Children and Young People's Services then leased from private landlords.[46] Cabinet also agreed to establish an in-house supported-accommodation staffing team to replace private sector provision at ten of the properties, with the portfolio holder who moved the report saying the change would move the council away from ad hoc, high-cost private sector leasing towards a planned, council-owned model.[46]
Responding to a councillor question at Cabinet on 17 September 2025 about protecting the library service, the Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Tourism, Regeneration and High Street said the council will continue to directly operate the physical library service across County Durham and that there is no plan to outsource it.[47]
Cabinet took the key decision 'Investment in Oracle Fusion, Financial Management and Human Capital Management System' on 19 November 2025, approving a major digital investment to replace the council's finance and HR systems.[48]
By first name, County Durham's Cabinet as constituted on 22 April 2026 was seven men and three women, a majority-male Cabinet.[49] The Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Executive Group (DASVEG) Annual Report presented to the Safer and Stronger Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 8 December 2025 recorded that the council's White Ribbon accreditation had been renewed.[50] The same meeting recorded continuing council support for the White Ribbon Campaign, with an officer confirming that support would be increased and that Clare's Law awareness would also be raised.[51]
The Household Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments Scheme is to be renamed the Crisis and Resilience Fund from April 2026, dropping 'Household Support' from the name.[52] County Durham's refreshed Poverty Strategy 2026-2030, reported to Cabinet on 17 December 2025, proposes renaming the strategy in recognition that the word 'poverty' can carry stigma; by the 12 February 2026 scrutiny board the proposed new name was given as the 'Financially Resilient Communities Strategy'. This remains a proposal out to consultation, not yet an enacted rename.[53] On 15 October 2025 Cabinet approved the new Durham Family Strategy 2025-2029, replacing the Corporate Parenting Strategy, after the report recorded that Durham's children and young people in care said they did not identify with the term 'corporate parenting' and preferred 'Durham Family'.[54] The Corporate Parenting Panel was renamed the Durham Family Panel following the same shift to a 'Durham Family' identity; the Panel's 28 November 2025 meeting recorded thanks for the 'successful renaming', noting it was informed by feedback from children and young people.[55] County Durham's 'Neighbourhoods and Climate Change' directorate was renamed 'Neighbourhoods and Environment' under the current administration, dropping 'Climate Change' from the title; a 24 October 2025 scrutiny board report noted the change needed reflecting in RIPA guidance, and a 29 May 2026 Audit Committee report still had to be corrected for using the old name.[56]
“Climate Change had been removed on the back of the Council resolution in July to remove the net zero targets and undeclare a climate emergency. The risk that had been in the Strategic Risk Register related to the Councils ability to hit the net zero target, therefore this was no longer a risk as the target had been scrapped.” Minutes, 29 September 2025 ↗
“In Moving adoption of the Cabinet reports, Councillor D Grimes, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Finance made a statement on the budget proposals” Minutes, 20 May 2026 ↗
“The budget put forward was the first for this administration and set a historic moment for all Reform members and followed months of hard work that commenced after the election in May.” Minutes, 20 May 2026 ↗
“Resolved: That the report and its recommendations be adopted in full.” Minutes, 20 May 2026 ↗
“Upon taking a vote on the substantive Motion there were 62 for, 7 against and there were 17 abstentions” Minutes, 22 October 2025 ↗
“The Substantive Motion was carried.” Minutes, 22 October 2025 ↗
“1. Rescind the Climate Emergency Declaration made on 20th February 2019.” Minutes, 22 October 2025 ↗
“We're choosing wheelchairs over windmills. We're choosing care over carbon and seeing children over solar.” Minutes, 15 October 2025 ↗
“the £9.174m of cancelled self financing borrowing” Minutes, 15 October 2025 ↗
“Councillor M Wilkes had requested the call-in to stop the cancellation of the solar panels on council buildings project under the Capital Review of decarbonisation schemes.” Minutes, 8 October 2025 ↗
“following the withdrawal of the CERP” Document, 23 March 2026 ↗
“the Council had previously declared a Climate Emergency, but this has since been rescinded following direction from the current administration. Work is now underway to develop a new Environmental Plan to replace the former Climate Emergency Response Plan.” Document, 23 March 2026 ↗
“Will we reconsider our stance on a supposed climate emergency? No” Minutes, 15 October 2025 ↗
“We're choosing wheelchairs over windmills. We're choosing care over carbon and seeing children over solar.” Minutes, 15 October 2025 ↗
“we passed a democratic verdict in undeclaring climate alarmism and prioritising” Minutes, 15 October 2025 ↗
“original business case was approved at time of net zero targets by 2030 and the response to the climate emergency. The new administration had undeclared a climate emergency and consulted upon a New Council Plan and therefore priorities had changed.” Minutes, 8 October 2025 ↗
“Upon taking a vote: 8 members were in favour and 9 were against. There were no abstentions. The proposal was lost.” Minutes, 8 October 2025 ↗
“The new administration had undeclared a climate emergency and consulted upon a New Council Plan and therefore priorities had changed.” Minutes, 24 October 2025 ↗
“Resolved That the application be REFUSED for the following reason” Minutes, 2 July 2025 ↗
“Councillor Bell moved a motion to refuse the application on the grounds of landscape harm. He suggested that the Council required a strategic approach to identify sites going forward. The motion was seconded by Councillor S Franklin.” Minutes, 2 July 2025 ↗
“the proposal would result in unacceptable harm to the character, quality and distinctiveness of the landscape in conflict with County Durham Plan Policies 10 and 39 and Part 15 of the National Planning Policy Framework” Minutes, 2 July 2025 ↗
“the Committee noted that six solar farm applications (two with BESS) had been refused” Minutes, 11 February 2026 ↗
“The Motion was carried.” Minutes, 18 February 2026 ↗
“It’s time to move away from a “protect at all costs’ approach”, and toward an approach of “let’s explore the options and weigh up the pros and cons”.” Minutes, 18 February 2026 ↗
“The Amendment was lost.” Minutes, 18 February 2026 ↗
“This County commits to continuing its diverse clean energy programme which includes on -shore wind, biomass, lithium and photovoltaics” Minutes, 18 February 2026 ↗
“But we will not participate in sanctimonious, performative, climate activism, driven by a set of luxury middle class beliefs, not held by the majority of our residents.” Minutes, 18 March 2026 ↗
“In this meeting today we’ll be presented our new Local Nature Recovery Strategy.” Minutes, 18 March 2026 ↗
“we’ll focus on a practical environmental stewardship. What this means is an approach based on pragmatism, balancing risks and benefits, and delivering cost efficient results” Minutes, 18 March 2026 ↗
“£2.2 million had been generated through this efficiency and by removing the cost of chasing net zero targets.” Minutes, 20 May 2026 ↗
“This joint approach extended to the process of bringing the Reform Department of Local Government Efficiency into this council to audit the books.” Minutes, 18 June 2025 ↗
“there was no plans to bring in further auditors – Mazars were the councils’ appointed auditors. The DOLGE efficiency reviews were targeted at finding waste but the Council had not had such a visit and no personal data or information had been provided to Reform UK or to any other outside body that had not been commissions by the Council itself.” Minutes, 27 June 2025 ↗
“The DOLGE work being planned under the Reform Council initiative was seen as an additional tool to identify new opportunities.” Minutes, 21 July 2025 ↗
“Governance and delegation arrangements would be established for any data-related work, including DOLGE activities.” Minutes, 21 July 2025 ↗
“He confirmed that they had had no engagement with the reform DOGE initiative so no savings had come from that process.” Minutes, 20 May 2026 ↗
“The Leader clarified that this was part of DOGE, members and officers looking at everything line by line seeing underspends across portfolios and the culture of DOGE was to watch the money we spend.” Minutes, 20 May 2026 ↗
“approve recommending the savings plans detailed in Appendix 4 (MTFP(15) savings totalling £5.662 million) and Appendix 5 (MTFP(16) savings totalling £9.807 million (was £10.057 million)) and which are profiled in total £12.914 million in 2026/27” Decisions, 11 February 2026 ↗
“approve the 2026/27 Net Budget Requirement of £674.060 million (was £673.733 million) for consideration by County Council on 18 February 2026” Decisions, 11 February 2026 ↗
“Reduction of Professional Fees Budget Following a review of the budget requirement, opportunities have arisen to make efficiencies and reduce the use of consultants, directly due to the appointment of a full time Project Manager, saving £0.100 million.” Document, 21 January 2026 ↗
“Reduction of Professional Fees Budget Following a review of the budget requirement, opportunities have arisen to make efficiencies and reduce the use of consultants, due to the appointment of a full time Project Manager, saving £0.100 million.” Document, 19 November 2025 ↗
“reduced professional fees such as the use of consultants” Document, 21 January 2026 ↗
“It is proposed to delete the Grade 14 NETPark Project Director role within Business Durham.” Document, 19 November 2025 ↗
“(c) Deletion of NETPark Project Director role (£0.068 million)” Document, 11 February 2026 ↗
“approve the recommending of the updated savings proposals set out in Appendix 4 and Appendix 5 and summarised in Table 3 and Table 4 to Council for approval on 18 February 2026” Decisions, 11 February 2026 ↗
“The Government has confirmed that across the next three years of the Comprehensive Spending Review Period, the council tax referendum limit will be 2.99% and that social care authorities have the “option” to increase council tax by an additional 2% for a Social Care Precept.” Document, 11 February 2026 ↗
“approve recommending a 1.10% core Council Tax increase and a 2% increase which relates to the Adult Social Care precept, to create a combined 3.10% overall increase in council tax in 2026/27 to County Council on 18 February 2026” Document, 11 February 2026 ↗
“Cabinet had considered the impact of Council Tax and due to the extra Recovery Uplift Grant received, they have set this as 1.99% to cover the social care precept.” Minutes, 30 March 2026 ↗
“Durham County Council 1,138.01 1,327.68 1,517.35 1,707.02 2,086.36 2,465.69 2,845.03 3,414.04 Durham County Council Social Care Precept 242.73 283.18 323.64 364.09 445.00 525.91 606.82 728.18 Durham County Council Total 1,380.74 1,610.86 1,840.99 2,071.11 2,531.36 2,991.60 3,451.85 4,142.22” Minutes, 20 May 2026 ↗
“Against Councillors R Bell, L Brown, R Crute, J Elmer, P Elmer, C Foote-Wood, D Freeman, A Gray, D Haney, P Heaviside, E Hopgood, A Hopgood, G Hutchinson, C Lines, C Martin, A Neil, E Pears, K Rooney, E Scott, T Smith, M Stead and M Wilkes. Abstentions Councillors L Maddison, J McGlenen and M Ramage.” Minutes, 20 May 2026 ↗
“The Council has set aside additional budget provision for adult social care fee increases which assumes a 5% increase in National Living Wage and a 3.0% increase in CPI in 2026/27.” Document, 17 September 2025 ↗
“The council will need to increase its budget allocations for payments to adult social care providers (home care, extra care, residential and nursing care) in 2026/27 by a total of £10.005 million, and by £31.556 million across the four-year MTFP(16) period.” Document, 11 February 2026 ↗
“Adult Social Care Costs: Amendments have been made to reflect updated assumptions on National Living Wage (the NLW rate for 2026/27 was announced on 20 November as part of the Autumn Budget) and on CPI linked uplifts in the contract.” Decisions, 21 January 2026 ↗
“Charging for Learning Disability Transport (£0.014 million) based on the introduction of a subsidised charge of £2.00 per journey from 2026/26 for individuals accessing Learning Disability provision through our internal fleet service.” Document, 11 February 2026 ↗
“Proposals include maximising the use of reablement and direct payments to support people to live independently, reviewing Support and Recovery arrangements, introducing subsidised charging for learning disability transport, and realigning the funding model for the Durham Mental Wellbeing Alliance by switching elements of funding to the Public Health Grant.” Document, 11 February 2026 ↗
“Objection to charging for learning disability transport (61): Many respondents specifically objected to introducing or increasing charges for learning disability transport, describing it as unfair, discriminatory and harmful to disabled individuals and their families.” Document, 21 January 2026 ↗
“the early intervention and support offered via the family hubs was accessible and successfully reducing the need for statutory intervention for many families.” Minutes, 22 September 2025 ↗
“a proposal to re-visit a deferred decision on progressing the implementation of the maintained concessionary scheme to remove transport for some non-entitled travel to school” Decisions, 11 February 2026 ↗
“This discretionary scheme operated at a loss of around £200,000 per year, benefitted a very small number of schools and lacked a clear business and equity case” Minutes, 11 February 2026 ↗
“agreed to cease the Maintained Concessionary Scheme at the end of the 2025/26 academic year” Decisions, 11 February 2026 ↗
“agreed to the Local Authority undertaking a review of post-16 travel and to bring back proposals to cabinet in the autumn of 2026” Decisions, 11 February 2026 ↗
“Home school transport remained one of the council's fastest growing financial pressures driven mainly by the rising demand of SEND transport, increasing complex needs and market costs” Minutes, 11 February 2026 ↗
“approve to recommend to County Council on 18 February 2026, that additional new capital investments, as detailed at Appendix 10, totalling £263.666 million, are included in the MTFP(16) Capital Programme. These schemes will be financed from a combination of additional capital grants (£113.300 million), and from new prudential borrowing (and planned capital receipts) and self-financing borrowing (£150.366 million);” Document, 11 February 2026 ↗
“Over £78 million of new transport and road projects, which would be subject to the Regional Mayor ensuring County Durham got its fair share of capital allocations, topped up by our commitment to borrow to invest in our transport infrastructure.” Minutes, 20 May 2026 ↗
“continued significant investment in highways maintenance (£47 million), tackling the backlog maintenance and investing in highways structures (£15 million), reinstatement of investment in maintaining footways (£4 million), and essential investment in drainage works (£1.5 million) and street lighting (£1.1 million).” Document, 11 February 2026 ↗
“Durham’s charge for garden waste collection compared favourably with other areas” Minutes, 24 November 2025 ↗
“garden waste collection was an optional service and therefore it was not included in Council Tax charges” Minutes, 24 November 2025 ↗
“residents will face an increase in the charge for the garden waste collection from 2026” Minutes, 24 November 2025 ↗
“Maximising income opportunities in areas such as car parking, bus fares, garden waste, highways lane rental and business rentals” Decisions, 19 November 2025 ↗
“Income generation, reducing contributions and removing grants to Town & Parish Councils -£2.971 million over the four years” Decisions, 19 November 2025 ↗
“which was commenced as a priority of the Cabinet following the May 2025 council elections” Minutes, 17 September 2025 ↗
“He remembered his time on the former Chester-le-Street District Council prior to the unitary Council in 2009” Minutes, 21 May 2025 ↗
“The Government are leading on an extensive reorganisation of local government, with many current two-tier areas invited to submit bids to reorganise into single tier authorities, which may change the original boundaries of local government.” Document, 17 September 2025 ↗
“the signing of a historic devolution deal” Minutes, 21 May 2025 ↗
“the North East Combined Authority’s five commitments; the Devolution Deal” Minutes, 4 July 2025 ↗
“on behalf of the seven local authorities (County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland) within the North-East of England and the Mayor of the North-East Combined Authority (NECA) which serves the same geography as these authorities” Document, 17 September 2025 ↗
“Cabinet approval was given in March 2025 to start working towards a new CDP, with political support reaffirmed following the May 2025 local elections.” Document, 10 June 2026 ↗
“On 25 March 2026, immediately following the enactment of the new plan-making regulations, the council formally gave notice of its intention to prepare a new CDP.” Document, 10 June 2026 ↗
“The plan will then move to examination, with submission in May 2028 and adoption targeted for March 2029.” Document, 10 June 2026 ↗
“Following a gateway review of the Financial, Strategic, Technological aspects of the Tees Valley Energy Recovery Facility, the council remains committed to the scheme.” Decisions, 19 November 2025 ↗
“The contract awarded will be to treat up to 450,000 tonnes of regional waste each year from 2029 under a 29-year contract.” Document, 19 November 2025 ↗
“we were still in a public procurement process, and that this process had not concluded but we had appointed a preferred tenderer.” Minutes, 22 October 2025 ↗
“A current trial of three HTS transport routes using an in-house fleet to service 14-15 pupils per route had achieved a daily saving of £292.10 totalling £55,481 over a 190 day school year.” Minutes, 13 November 2025 ↗
“Councillor C Hunt, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People’s Services moved the report which updated the Cabinet on the home to school transport transformation program and sought agreement on the next steps.” Minutes, 11 February 2026 ↗
“increased use of in-house fleets had helped stabilise the budget.” Minutes, 11 February 2026 ↗
“Children and Young People’s Services currently lease 26 properties from private landlords.” Decisions, 6 May 2026 ↗
“Councillor Hunt further highlighted that the approach would deliver improved value for money by moving away from ad hoc, high-cost private sector leasing towards a planned, council-owned portfolio with clearer governance and greater flexibility to meet demand.” Minutes, 6 May 2026 ↗
“confirmed agreement to support the establishment of an in-house supported accommodation staffing team that will provide support into 10 of the properties, replacing private sector provision;” Decisions, 6 May 2026 ↗
“There is no agenda to outsource, ‘voluntarise’ by stealth, or hollow-out provision.” Minutes, 17 September 2025 ↗
“On libraries: yes - we will continue to directly operate a comprehensive, physical library service across County Durham.” Minutes, 17 September 2025 ↗
“Councillor Quinn, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Planning, Investments and Assets to seconded the report.” Minutes, 19 November 2025 ↗
“The Cabinet considered a report of the Corporate Director of Resources which provided an update on a major digital investment in the Council’s Financial Management and Human Resource system.” Decisions, 19 November 2025 ↗
“Resolved That the recommendations in the report be approved.” Minutes, 19 November 2025 ↗
“Councillor Gray, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Transformation, Efficiency, Digital and Procurement moved the report.” Minutes, 19 November 2025 ↗
“Councillor A Husband informed Council of the Deputy Leader, Cabinet Members and their Portfolios: Councillor Darren Grimes – Deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Finance, Policy and Communications Councillor Joe Quinn – Resources, Investments and Assets Councillor Karen Allison – Neighbourhoods and Environment Councillor Nicola Lyons – Stronger Communities and Belonging” Minutes, 21 May 2025 ↗
“Councillor Andrew Husband, Leader of the Council and Councillor Darren Grimes, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Finance” Document, 15 October 2025 ↗
“Councillor Kyle Genner, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood, Environment and Police Relations responded to the question as follows” Minutes, 10 December 2025 ↗
“Councillor Cathy Hunt – Children and Young People’s Services Councillor Stephen Gray – Digital and Customer Services Councillor Tim McGuinness – Rural, Communities and Highways Councillor Howard Brown – Adult and Health Services Councillor Lyndsey Fox – Economy and Partnerships” Minutes, 21 May 2025 ↗
“It was shared that the White Ribbon accreditation had been re-accredited to the authority.” Minutes, 8 December 2025 ↗
“Councillor Bowron shared that the profile of Clare’s Law and the White Ribbon Campaign should be championed by Members. The Public Health Strategic Manager noted that support for the White Ribbon Campaign would be increased” Minutes, 8 December 2025 ↗
“the Household Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments Scheme (to be renamed as the Crisis and Resilience Fund from April 2026)” Document, 11 February 2026 ↗
“Councillor P Sexton understood the need to re-name the strategy as there were certain stigmas attached to poverty” Minutes, 12 February 2026 ↗
“The Proposed Strategy for 2026-2030 would see a renaming to ‘Financially Resilient Communities Strategy’” Minutes, 12 February 2026 ↗
“consideration will also be given to the potential renaming of the strategy, recognising that the term “poverty” can carry stigma for individuals and communities.” Decisions, 17 December 2025 ↗
“Durham’s children and young people said that they do not identify with the term ‘corporate parenting,’ and they would prefer the term ‘Durham Family’ to be used.” Decisions, 15 October 2025 ↗
“Approved the new Durham Family Strategy 2025-2029” Decisions, 15 October 2025 ↗
“The Council’s role as a corporate parent, will therefore be referred to as the ‘Durham Family’ and as such, the Corporate Parenting Strategy will be known as the ‘Durham Family Strategy.’” Decisions, 15 October 2025 ↗
“the successful renaming of the Corporate Parenting Panel to the Durham Family Panel, noting that the change was informed by valuable feedback from our children and young people.” Minutes, 28 November 2025 ↗
“the Neighbourhoods and Climate Change referenced within the report was incorrect and would need to be changed to reflect the new title of Neighbourhoods and Environment.” Minutes, 30 June 2026 ↗
“the minor change related to service name change to Neighbourhoods and Environment.” Minutes, 24 October 2025 ↗