Prior to the commencement of the meeting the Chair of the County Council with great sadness reported the death of Roy Templeman, former Chief Executive of Chester le Street District Council from June 2004 to March 2009. While he was Chief Executive Chester le Street was the first Council to go from Poor to Good in a CPA assessment in three years, the first Council in the North-East to obtain a Members Charter and was the first and only Council in the UK to sign up to and act upon the European Charter for Equality.
The Council stood for a moments silence as a mark of respect.