2. Contents
Durham
Vision
2011: a year of exceptional delivery
Customer satisfaction
Durham in the North East
Altogether wealthier
Making savings...
Conclusion
03
04
05
07
08
11
14
15
3. 3
Durham
Durham is a large rural county in North East England. Stretching from the North
Pennines in the west to the East Durham Coast in the east, the county sits between the
urban conurbations of Tyneside and Wearside to the north and Tees Valley to the south.
The county has a population of 510,800, with 12 main towns and over 300 smaller towns
and villages, spread over an administrative area of 232,260 hectares or 862 square
miles. It is a deprived county with over two fifths of its super output areas within the
25 per cent most deprived in England.
Less than three years ago, local government in the county was reorganised on a unitary
basis. However, Durham has quickly moved on from focusing on reorganisation to
become an ambitious, outward-looking council, working with partners to provide
leadership for Durham, its communities and the wider North East. Above all, the council
has ‘delivered’. In spite of the financial challenges faced by all, Durham has made
significant service improvements alongside budget savings, as it strives to become
an ‘altogether better council’, working with partners to create an ‘altogether better
Durham’.
“2011 has been an exceptional year for Durham County Council. It is testament to
the hard work of our employees and our partners that we have achieved so much
for the county and our residents.
We would be honoured to receive the accolade ‘Council of the Year’ in the 2012 LGC
Awards.
Councillor Simon Henig, Leader of the Council
4. 4
Vision
An ‘altogether better Durham’ - ‘altogether better’ as a place and ‘altogether better’
for people, is the central vision of our council plan and the sustainable community
strategy for Durham, which we and our strategic partners are working towards.
Working with local communities, we focus on five priority themes to make Durham:
G ‘altogether wealthier’ - creating a vibrant economy and putting regeneration
and economic development at the heart of all our plans;
G ‘altogether healthier’ - improving health and wellbeing;
G ‘altogether safer’ - creating a safer and more cohesive county;
G ‘altogether better for children and young people’ - enabling children and young
people to develop and achieve their aspirations, and to maximise their potential
in line with Every Child Matters; and
G ‘altogether greener’ - ensuring an attractive and ‘liveable’ local environment,
and contributing to tackling global environmental challenges.
5. 5
2011: a year of exceptional delivery
2011 was a year of exceptional delivery for Durham.
The council’s achievements are all the more remarkable, given that less than three
years earlier, it acquired completely new political leadership and senior management
as part of unitary reorganisation.
In line with the county vision, the authority committed itself to become an ‘altogether
better council’, capable of making the changes and improving the services to deliver
the overall vision.
In 2011, the council made significant progress on all fronts, in spite
of a very challenging environment.
Here is a flavour of our key achievements and outcomes in 2011.
G Established a new cultural partnership and staged Lumiere 2011,
the fastest growing cultural festival in the UK
G Developed a new local development framework - the County
Durham Plan, to drive economic growth and regeneration in the
county
G Involved more than 5,000 people in local action and supported
over 900 projects through the area action partnerships (AAPs)
G Improved customer services with new town and village customer
access points as part of our accommodation strategy which will
save £3.3m on office accommodation
G Achieved record GCSE results year on year - from six per cent
below the national average to 2.4 per cent above in 2011
G Received national recognition for a 71 per cent reduction in first time
entrants into the Youth Justice System due to the pre-reprimand
disposal system
G Working with the NHS, created a unique service, One Point, to
provide a ‘one stop shop’ for support, advice and activities for
children, young people and families
G Reviewed and restructured residential and domiciliary care
G Secured employment for 800 people through the Future Jobs Fund,
working with employers
6. 6
G Achieved award-winning recognition to community safety and
safeguarding of vunerable adults
G Achieved top quartile performance for personalisation
G Built 369 affordable homes in 2011, a significant improvement
on the previous years
G Achieved £2.5m reduction in carbon costs and £6m invested
in solar photovoltaic panels on over 40 council buildings
G Achieved Green Flag status for twenty one parks and open
spaces - the highest in the region, including five cemeteries
- the highest in the UK
G Maintained a schools investment programme which has funded
nine BSF schemes, 10 Primary Capital/School Modernisation
schemes and 13 further schemes to provide additional school
places
G Invested in 118 Access projects to improve or adapt
accommodation for pupils with Physical Difficulties, 19 schemes
to improve accommodation in our Children’s Homes, and 16 Sure
Start major capital projects
G Opened the new Aycliffe Secure Centre
G Harmonised inconsistent approaches to taxi licensing across
the county, improving the service to customers
G Achieved 4.7 per cent increase in recycling and 8.6 per cent
reduction in landfil
G Increased life expectancy in has consistently from 75.9 to
76.9 years for men and from 79.9 to 80.7 for women in the
2011 Health Profiles for County Durham
G Increased the percentage of physically active children from
47.4 per cent to 56.7 per cent, 2010 to 2011
G Reduced in crime and anti-social behaviour in 2011 by 11 per cent
7. 7
Customer satisfaction
The new council’s first large scale survey of residents showed a significant increase in
satisfaction with the council. Four in five respondents said they were satisfied with the
way the council runs things - a 37 per cent increase on a 2009 survey and five per cent
higher than the national benchmark group.
Fifty nine per cent said they were satisfied that the council offered value for money,
which was in line with the national benchmark and 12 per cent higher than the 2009
survey.
And overall, 88 per cent were satisfied with their local area as a place to live -
12 per cent up on 2009 and five per cent higher than the national benchmark group.
The survey was used to develop detailed satisfaction profiles of different parts of the
county, which are being used to inform and shape service delivery plans.
Given the council’s commitment to make Durham an altogether better place, the survey
demonstrates that significant progress is being made.
8. 8
Durham in the North East
With its new outward focus, Durham is making a productive contribution to the
North East.
As vice-chair of the North Eastern Local Enterprise Partnership and the Association of
North East Councils, the Leader of the council is helping to shape the regional agenda
and ensuring the needs of the region are heard nationally on important policy debates
such as the impact of public spending reductions and the Local Government Resource
Review.
The chief executive of the council chairs the Regional Chief Executives’ Group and
leads on the development of bespoke local economic partnership arrangements that
meet the needs of region and the aspirations of partners who have a long history of
partnership working in this most distinctive of English regions.
Working in partnership
We have completely revamped the County Durham Partnership, our key partnership.
It is made up of key public, private and voluntary sector organisations, that work
together to improve the quality of life for the people within County Durham.
Partners have developed the Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS) to identify
the changes that we think should be made to improve the economic, social and
environmental well-being of the area. The Partnership shares the vision for ‘an
altogether better Durham.’
The partnership structure created to deliver the vision has developed very quickly
and we now have strong and resilient partnerships committed to the ‘altogether’
ethos of working together to better the quality of life in Durham.
9. 9
A key achievement has been the performance of the area action
partnerships (AAPs). Developed to support local engagement and
action as part of unitary reorganisation, the 14 partnerships have
developed quickly and are now established and valued features of
the strategic and local governance landscape across the county.
A review of the AAPs in 2011 concluded that they were highly
effective in ensuring that local services meet local needs and that
the voice of local communities is heard within the strategic planning
and service development process.
One of the AAPs’ key strengths has been the partnerships’ ability
to make a difference. In the first two years of operation, they have
supported over 900 projects determined by local communities and
the area and neighbourhood budgets linked to the partnerships
have invested £8.5m in local areas, attracting £14.2m in match
funding in 2011.
A key finding of the review was the AAPs remarkable performance
in involving local people during 2011. Over 5,000 residents across
the county are AAP forum members and local surveys highlight
that significantly more people feel that they can influence local
decision-making since the partnerships were established.
10. Local choice, local voice
The role played by area action partnerships in leading and innovating local approaches
to problem solving has been increased by the introduction of participatory budgeting.
In 2011 significant resources were set aside for two pilots in contrasting parts of the
county to inspire local people and show them how they can be at the heart of instigating
real local change.
The pilots attracted funding applications for over 90 locally-developed project proposals.
Over 6,000 votes were cast by 1,300 people who took in the decision-making process.
Thirty projects were successful, attracting further in-kind contributions and match funding
to add to the council’s investment.
The level of participation in the pilots far exceeded initial expectations and post event
evaluation in the areas concerned indicated a 200 per cent increase in the number of
people who feel they can influence decisions.
The approach to working with local people to develop bespoke approaches to
participatory budgeting and the level of participation achieved prompted Vince Howe
of the National PB unit to comment: “Over the past 12 months the work in Durham is
probably the best I’ve seen in England.”
The pilots have stimulated further thinking and practice and further projects are planned
this year in different parts of the county and involving more public sector partners.
10
11. 11
Altogether wealthier
Economic growth and creating an ‘altogether wealthier Durham’ is the top priority for
the county.
The County Durham Plan, the local development framework for County Durham aims
to create a vibrant economy, stimulate economic growth and provide the regeneration
the county needs.
Private sector investment is pivotal and the council has consulted and worked with
private sector partners on how economic regeneration can be achieved and funded.
During 2011, we have developed plans to realise the county’s potential as the ideal
setting for a wide range of industries and business investments, which will lead to
diverse and lasting job opportunities and quality housing.
Growth will be focused around the county’s principal towns by stimulating the
development of good quality housing, employment opportunities and town centre
renewal and investment.
Durham City is a prime economic asset in the North East and has been prioritised
for development as a key sustainable location for growth with 5,000 new houses, new
roads linking the city centre to the A1(M), retail and creation of high quality landscaped
employment sites, in keeping with the city’s unique and historic environment.
12. 12
The other key elements of the plan are:
G Providing quality sites for businesses to grow
G Ensuring the sustainable development of the county’s main towns,
meeting local communities’ needs
G Recognising the aspirations of smaller towns and villages and
the important role they play
G Protecting the countryside, limiting development pressures while
realising tourism potential
As part of this strategic approach, the council has developed master
plans for Consett and Stanley. The regeneration of Bishop Auckland
is well under way and a vision for the development of Barnard Castle
includes the provision of super fast broadband for over 1,000 residents
in the wider dale.
The Heart of the City in Durham City has been delivered by Durham
City Vision and jointly funded by the regional development agency,
One NorthEast, Durham Villages Regeneration Company and the
council.
This investment of over £5.25m consisted of a major programme
of work to modernise streets and surfaces including important
drainage throughout the city centre.
The completion of the revamp of the Market Place and vennels
in July 2011 culminated in the unveiling of a unique timeline
tracking some of the historic landmarks in Durham’s history
accompanied by a taster of the 2011 Brass Durham International
Festival. The Market Place was also host to the Streets of Summer
Festivals and the magic of the 2011 Lumiere event.
A development brief is also in place for Milburngate, a major
waterfront development site, which will boost the economic
prospects of the city and improve infrastructure.
13. 13
The North East Technology Park (NETPark), owned by the council
and managed by our business arm County Durham Development
Company had a double celebration in the relocation of the
Combustion Engineering Association from Cardiff and the graduation
of its first incubator unit tenant to take up full time office and
laboratory space.
As one of the fastest growing science parks in the UK, NETPark
focuses on supporting companies that are developing technology and
products in the physical sciences, particularly printable electronics,
microelectronics, photonics and nanotechnology. Their application
is in the fields of energy, astronomy, defence, and medical-related
technologies. The reputation of NETPark is growing nationally and
internationally.
Amazon Park in south west Durham is the future home of Hitachi
Rail UK’s massive 450,000 sq ft rail assembly plant for the next
generation of high speed passenger trains.
The company will build the rolling stock for the £4.5bn Intercity
Express Programme (IEP). The council was instrumental in attracting
the company to the site and working with regional partners to lobby
for Government confirmation of the IEP.
Since the announcement, the council has worked with the company
to develop local supply chain and procurement opportunities for the
project which has been dubbed the North East’s ‘new Nissan’.
Over 600 companies participated in a suppliers’ open day and it is
estimated that as well as creating over 500 direct jobs, Hitachi Rail
UK’s investment will create thousands more in the local economy
and supply chains.
14. 14
Making savings...
Like all public services, the council has to plan for and cope with a shrinking
public purse.
We started planning immediately for reduced spending, engaging partners and
consulting local people on how we could manage with less.
Strategically, savings are being achieved across five categories - management
and support services, implementing efficiency measures, reviewing fees and
income and rationalising services as a last resort.
Over half of the savings are coming from the first four categories, so that frontline
services prioritised by local people are protected as much as possible.
Our detailed plan to save at least £123.5m over four years includes over 130 different
spending proposals, proactively project and programme-managed with regular reviews
by corporate management team and Cabinet members. We have already secured
all of the £66m to be saved in 2011/12.
The scale of the spending reductions required, demands bold decision-making and
we have been prepared to face up to some very difficult decisions including the
restructuring of residential care, waste management and household refuse collection,
home-to-school transport and indoor leisure provision.
Each issue has been sensitive and politically contentious and has required detailed
consultation and management, along with the political will to contemplate difficult
decisions and lead communities through change.
15. 15
...by working with communities
The council’s leisure facilities were reviewed in the light of the
council’s savings targets and our new leisure services strategy,
which seeks to increase participation through greater use of the
outdoors over traditional indoor facilities.
The future of seven facilities was questioned and the council took
the difficult decision to consult on possible closure.
Communities and stakeholders were engaged in dialogue
about the future of provision in the areas concerned and critically,
in how the facilities could be retained for alternative community
use. A dedicated project team worked with community groups and
not-for-profit organisations on asset transfer proposals.
As a result, five facilities have or are about to transfer to third sector
ownership and the opening times in a sixth have been revised to
better match local community demand.
Only one centre has closed and the anticipated £1.1m of efficiency
savings have been secured.
Conclusion
Durham County Council has quickly established itself as an outward-looking, ambitious
local authority which is delivering significant service improvements for its communities,
in the most challenging of times.
2011 has seen major gains in service performance and financial savings as well as the
development of partnership plans and policy proposals, which will enable the council
to continue to deliver in 2012 and beyond and work with partners towards our collective
goal of creating an ‘altogether better Durham’.
16. Contact
Durham County Council
County Hall
Durham
DH1 5UF
www.durham.gov.uk
Follow us on Twitter @durhamcouncil
Like us at facebook.com/durhamcouncil
14309COMMSLGCAwards2012Brochure
