Agenda item

The Council noted a report from Councillor A Hopgood, Leader of the Council. In her report, Councillor Hopgood reflected upon what the council had achieved over the last 12 months as follows:

The devolution of power from Westminster to the North East in the spring was certainly a landmark moment. The trailblazing deal between the Government and the new North East Combined Authority had empowered the Council to go even further to deliver on our ambitions and to work with our communities on the things that mattered most to them.

Councillor Hopgood thanked everyone who had taken the bold decision for County Durham to be part of the wider North East Combined Authority, who saw this as an opportunity to deliver for residents and businesses on such a large scale. In the first six months alone, funding had been secured for the County to the tune of tens of millions of pounds, and secured access to further funding unavailable through any other channel.

Councillor Hopgood went on to highlight that during the summer, the council celebrated the opening of The Story, our new culture, heritage and registration venue and New Hall, Locomotion’s new exhibition space.

Staying with culture, Councillor Hopgood referenced the vibrant festival and events programme which had continued to delight residents and attract tens of thousands of visitors to the county. She also referenced the launch of a three-year programme ‘Into the Light’ which aimed to empower communities, inspire children and young people, and breakdown barriers to working in creative industries.

2024 was also an exciting year for NETPark, which celebrated its twentieth anniversary and saw the last piece of steelwork fitted as part of the £62 million phase three expansion.

Many other construction projects were completed during year, including a new roundabout at Seaton Lane, the expansion of Sniperley Park and Ride and the building of Springmoor Grange Primary School in Spennymoor and Belmont Secondary school.

Councillor Hopgood went on to report that in July, the council adopted it’s third Climate Emergency Response Plan, which set out over 230 actions to help us become a net zero council by 2030 and a net zero county by 2045. Earlier this month the Council had retained its green accreditation for the third year in a row from Investors in the Environment. The Council were also awarded Best Carbon Reduction Award at their annual awards, with Jo Holmes, managing director of Genee Consulting Ltd, the North East hub for Investors in the Environment, saying: “We love working with Durham County Council through the Investors in the Environment programme – they are an excellent example of leadership from a local authority around this agenda. “The breadth of projects the council is involved in is to be commended and evidence that the team recognise that projects of all scales have value in addressing climate change. 

“We’re so pleased Durham County Council has been recognised for its hard work with the Best Carbon Reduction Award at this year’s Investors in the Environment awards. It is a huge achievement and testament to their continued commitment to the environment.”

Furthermore, she reported that the support we offer to children and vulnerable adults had also been recognised with the adult social care provision being rated as good by the Care Quality Commission, while our specialist children’s home was rated outstanding in all areas. Ofsted inspectors also praised the support we offer to care leavers.

In conclusion she added that the above provided a snapshot of an incredibly busy year, and she thanked all members, council staff, our partners and our communities for their hard work.

In closing, Councillor Hopgood wished everyone a wonderful Christmas and expressed that she was looking forward to continuing to work together in 2025 to build a brighter future for County Durham.