Minutes:
The Council noted a report from the Leader of the Council as follows:
The past six months had been incredibly challenging and the Leader extended his thoughts to all those who had been directly affected by coronavirus. The Leader thanked staff across the council for their ongoing hard work and commitment during the pandemic, keeping services operating and providing vital support to residents. Many staff members had taken on different roles or re-trained in order to help out, with a large number supporting the County Durham Together community hub.
Council teams had also been working hard to support the business community, with more than £104 million being paid to more than 9,500 businesses across County Durham through the government’s Business Support Grants and the Local Discretionary Grants.
The Leader also acknowledged the considerable efforts of communities over the past few months in helping each other and in particular the most vulnerable residents. Community and voluntary groups had played a huge part in the combined response to the pandemic and the Leader expressed his enormous gratitude.
County Durham was currently in Tier 2 of the Government’s system of coronavirus restrictions, along with the Tees Valley and the other members of the LA7. The fact that County Durham had been able to remain in Tier 2 was very much down to the efforts of residents, businesses and communities in following the rules and guidance. These combined efforts had helped the number of coronavirus cases to stabilise, but the County remained at a very critical point and it was essential that everyone continued to ‘do their bit’ in order to avoid the introduction of harsher restrictions.
The Council continued to engage with government about the need for crucial economic support as well as localised control of Test and Trace and was committed to ongoing, constructive dialogue.
The Council had joined with councils across the North East to write to the Government to call for a financial settlement that allowed a continued response to the coronavirus pandemic while also ensuring the maintenance of key services that residents relied on. The letter which the Leader sent as Chair of the Association of North East Councils sought assurance that resources would be made available in the Local Government Financial Settlement, as local authorities considered their budgets for 2021/22.
The Leader reported that he would continue to circulate a weekly update each Friday, bringing Members as well as stakeholders across County Durham up to date with the latest position on coronavirus.
The council’s chief executive Terry Collins had announced his planned retirement towards the end of the year after a successful 43-year career in local government. During his five years as chief executive, Terry had expanded the council’s culture-led regeneration programme and in turn increased its national reputation as a great place to invest and visit, boosting the county’s economy, including welcoming the millionth visitor to Lumiere in November 2019, on its 10th anniversary. He was also leading the council through its response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The all-party Chief Officer Appointments Committee agreed to appoint an interim chief executive from among the current Corporate Management Team and would meet to do this at the end of the week.
Last night had seen the first of the Council’s AAP Autumn Events – Better for Everyone - at which people were able to have their say on the future of their area, with Derwent Valley hosting the first event albeit this was held virtually. Over the next few weeks there would be a meeting for each of the 14 Area Action Partnerships at which people would be asked for their views and suggestions, particularly on the Council’s £20 million plans to make towns and villages around the county more vibrant.
The events also included an update on the coronavirus pandemic from Amanda Healy, Director of Public Health, and details of how residents could play their part in reducing the spread of the coronavirus by becoming community champions.
The ongoing and outstanding community response to Coronavirus would also be recognised at each session, which aimed to provide an opportunity to give thanks to the many groups and individuals who had played such a tremendous role in their community response over the past six months.
As part of the Council’s £31million investment in frontline services over the next two years, 11 new neighbourhood wardens had been employed across the County to help keep enviro-crimes like fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour under control. This was part of a commitment to enhance the services that residents valued and which were important in maintaining communities as clean and green places to live, in which people felt safe and protected.
Attracting investment to create and safeguard jobs was a key priority. In August, the Council welcomed news that Morrisons was opening a new store at Dalton Park, creating 150 jobs. The Council had worked closely with both Dalton Park and Morrisons to ensure they were able to meet the timescales for the store.
Following the opening of a new railway station at Horden in the summer, plans had also been approved to replace Durham Bus Station with a modern and spacious new building, with work set to start soon. This investment would improve transport links, regenerate North Road in Durham and increase footfall in the city centre.
The Council had been awarded £750,000 to fund projects that would have an immediate impact in Bishop Auckland and help build a stronger and more resilient economy. The grant was part of an advanced allocation from the government’s Towns Fund, to help maximise opportunities for local people and businesses by spending on projects that would immediately make a difference to the area.
In September, the Council announced that regeneration plans for the former Festival Walk shopping centre at Spennymoorwould commence in October. The Council had put £600,000 towards the redevelopment of the site which would include a new car park, a new ALDI store and additional retail space.
Work had also begun to enhance Seaham’s rich heritage through the £2.25million Seaham Townscape Heritage Project. The Council had a £1.6 million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund towards the works which would breathe fresh life into Seaham’s historic town centre and focus on the regeneration of targeted properties in the Church Street area.
Plans had been approved for a new history centre to showcase County Durham’s rich heritage, paving the way for Mount Oswald Manor House near Durham City to be redeveloped into a vibrant and interactive local history hub. It had recently been announced that the Council was to receive almost £1.5 million from the European Regional Development Fund to include a number of environmentally friendly measures during the restoration of the grade II listed building. The grant would allow the installation of photovoltaic panels, a smart heating and cooling system and a ground source heat pump that could meet almost 90 per cent of the building’s heating demand and 60 per cent of its cooling demand.
The £5.5 million infrastructure works at junction 61 of the A1(M) at Bowburn had been completed to significantly improve access to the Integra 61 development, which was primed for a key role in the County’s economic recovery from the pandemic.
The Council had improved walking and cycling infrastructure in and around Durham city following almost £400,000 of funding from the government’s Emergency Active Travel Fund. Improvement was also being made to improve a popular national cycle route thanks to a grant of almost £1 million from the Department for Transport to improve a 23 mile stretch of the National Cycle Route 1 at South Hetton and between Cold Hesledon and Dawdon.
As well as launching a recruitment campaign to help speed up the training and recruitment process for care providers at this critical time, County Durham Care Academy had secured a £44,000 grant from the Workforce Development Fund to help care providers upskill their staff.
In August, the Council commissioned Hartlepool and East Durham MIND to deliver a free training hub to help raise the standard of mental health support for employees across County Durham and raise awareness of mental health issues in the workplace.
Schools and pupils had faced unprecedented challenges this year and the Leader reiterated the praise given following A-level and GCSE results in the summer. Despite the difficulties presented by the pandemic, A levels remained in line with last year and GCSEs saw improvements in key areas, including Maths and English.
The Leader had asked chief officers to look into all possible options for appeal of a National Valuation Office Agency decision that council tax not be backdated on buildings converted into homes near Durham. As soon as the Council was aware of a potential breach in regulations, council officers investigated the matter. However, while there had been historical breaches of planning and building control regulation, which dated back to the time of the former Durham City Council, the current council was unable to take enforcement action due to the amount of time that had elapsed.
The Leader had asked that all options to appeal this decision be considered. Furthermore, it was imperative that the Valuation Office Agency be made accountable for its decision in Parliament so that public confidence in the council tax was maintained.
The Council’s preparations for winter were well underway, with teams fully up and running. The 76-strong fleet of gritters and snowblowers was ready and waiting on standby and the Council had 42,000 tonnes of salt ready to tackle the ice and snow. More than 2,300 salt bins were located across the county to assist residents and businesses and would be restocked as needed.
An annual festival celebrating the unique history of Bishop Auckland, would return bigger and better this year by holding its festival in partnership with a neighbouring area. Bishop Auckland Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) had teamed up with the Stockton and Darlington Railway HAZ to bring the History and Heritage Festival 2020. The Festival would run from Friday, 23 October to Sunday, 1 November and celebrate the wider history of the North East with a programme of around 50 events that would bring to life the rich heritage of Bishop Auckland and the birthplace of the railway.
In concluding his update, the Leader reported that the Council was finalising plans for Remembrance Day on Sunday 8 November. As a result of the pandemic, this year’s events would be different from usual, but the Council would still be taking time to mark the occasion in a number of ways. This included a series of outdoor experiences and digital events to provide everyone with the opportunity to pay their respects safely.