Minutes:
The Chair informed Council that since the last Council meeting she had attended various events including the ‘Inspiring People’ Staff awards. The Chair referenced that the work carried out by staff and teams within the Council was truly magnificent and it had been wonderful to come together in celebrating the achievements of the workforce.
Prior to the Christmas break the Chair was honoured to attend the unveiling of a new commemorative bench dedicated to the memory of former Councillor and Chair, Beaty Bainbridge in Riverside Park at Chester le Street which was a place much treasured by Beaty.
The Chair also reported a number of successes since the last Council meeting, including.
·
The opening of Durham City’s new bus station
in early January. The new bus station
was located on the site
of the former bus station on North Road and provided high quality
facilities as well as being a modern transport hub that offered a
safe and welcoming space for residents and visitors
alike;
· A programme of world-class events, skills development and community-led activities had received a £1.25million Place Partnership award from the Arts Council England through the National Lottery. The award came about from bid on behalf of a consortium of the council, the Culture Durham Partnership and Durham University to support the £7.2million ‘Into the Light’ programme which would begin in 2025; and
· Ofsted inspectors had praised the work the Council did to prepare and support young people as they left care and remarked that Durham was diligent in its efforts to ensure that care-experienced young people were given the opportunity to achieve their goals.
The Chair referenced that Family Hub staff, including County Council and health colleagues, were located in the Foyer and were showcasing the support on offer from Family Hubs across County Durham. Credit card style cards with QR codes had been circulated around the Chamber prior to the meeting which provided easy access to the website and to the Family Hub registration form.
Also within the Foyer was information about fly tipping, and staff would be available for any Member who wished to discuss the issue.