Minutes:
The Leader of the Council paid tribute to Jo Cox, MP, who had been killed while doing her job as an elected representative, this being an attack on democracy. He hoped that in future any debate could be carried out in a more reasoned and calm manner.
The Leader of the Council reported that he had attended a memorial service for Don Robson which was held at the Riverside at Chester le Street. The service was a fitting tribute to Don, who had played a leading role in the North East since the 1970’s.
The Leader of the Council reported that he had stood down as Chair of the North East Combined Authority at its Annual General Meeting, adding that the intention was always to rotate the position of Chair around the seven constituent authorities. The position of Durham on the Combined Authority was that there were red lines around the issues of fair funding, Durham being no worse off, governance arrangements being in place to protect Durham’s position and an embedded Mayor. A devolution scheme was due to be published in July and consultation would take place over the summer, with a Governance Order being published in the autumn.
The Leader of the Council reported that the Chief Officer Appointments Committee had made the following interim appointments:
· Corporate Director, Resources – Paul Darby
· Director of Public Health – Gill O’Neill
· Corporate Director of Adult and Health Services – Jane Robinson
The process of appointing to permanent positions had commenced.
The Leader of the Council was pleased to report that Lumiere was to return to Durham City for the fifth time in 2017. 200,000 people had attended Lumiere event in 2015, which was considered to be Britain’s largest light festival. Additionally the Lighting Urban Community International would be hosting its Conference in Durham alongside the festival in 2017.