- At the end of last year, Durham County Council set out its objectives in its Council Plan and over the last 12 months, the local authority has seen marked progress towards these goals.
- The economy has seen a significant boost, with 1,429 businesses supported, 1,643 jobs created and safeguarded, and £7.6m in positive economic impact as a result of £1m of investment into festivals and events.
- The council’s work has seen reports of fly-tipping remain low at 9.6 per 1,000 people.
- The local authority has helped 483 households retain or secure accommodation, while 889 households assessed as being homeless, were also supported.
A council is celebrating a successful financial year of investment, increased employment, reduced fly-tipping, and prevention of homelessness, as it continues to meet its priorities for the county.
At the end of last year, Durham County Council set out its objectives in its Council Plan, which are: reforming the council, supercharging the economy, building better communities, caring for people, and creating a practical environmental stewardship.
Over the last 12 months, the local authority has seen marked progress towards boosting the economy, by supporting 1,429 businesses, securing 14 inward investments and obtaining £4.9 million of investment in companies. Plus, a total of 1,673 jobs have been created and safeguarded, higher than the 1,566 from last year.
The number of planning applications completed within deadline has increased, exceeding targets and resulting in the best performance recorded for several years.
Meanwhile, £1 million of council investment in festivals and events produced an economic impact of £7.6 million, a return on investment of 735 per cent. Last year’s BRASS Festival alone saw a return on investment of 554 per cent.
The authority’s customer service department continue to answer 92 per cent of calls within three minutes, much higher than the performance standard of 80 per cent.
When it comes to protecting communities, the council’s work has seen reports of fly-tipping remain low at 9.6 per 1,000 people, while environmental cleanliness remains high, and anti-social behaviour is at the lowest recorded level for two years.
This work has also resulted in more long-term properties being brought back into use, while on its highways, the council’s target to repair 90 per cent of defects within pre-determined timescales was met in three of the four categories.
When tackling homelessness, the local authority has helped 483 households retain or secure accommodation, while 889 households assessed as being homeless, were also supported.
Registration with the authority’s Family Hubs continues on an upward trend with more than 15,000 people joining the service, an increase of 18.74 per cent compared to last year’s figure of 12,633.
Conservation work on the council’s historic buildings has resulted in four fewer appearing on the Historic England Heritage at Risk register. Elsewhere, on the Stockton & Darlington Railway, improvement work has resulted in four significant sections of the track being removed from the register, with a fifth section soon to be removed when the new Gaunless Bridge is installed this summer.
Cllr Darren Grimes, deputy leader of Durham County Council, said: “Progress has been the theme of this financial year with clear, noticeable improvements being made across our services over the last 12 months. Our economy is thriving, thanks to our support for businesses, our inward investment, and our hard work to safeguard and create jobs for residents.
“Our communities are cleaner and safer than ever, while our support for those facing homelessness continues.
“We will continue to serve residents and strive towards delivering on the priorities we set out at the end of last year.”
