Durham County Council

Help us shape the future of transport in Country Durham On Thursday 19 December, the #NorthEastLTP Consultation is at Consett Library from 10:00 to 13:00. If you're in the area please come along and have a chat, and share your priorities for transport in County Durham and the wider North East region 😊 👋 Can't make it? Check out our website for other ways to take part 👉 https://lnkd.in/e_BjxcjF  #NorthEastEngland #CountyDurham Durham County Council Durham Community Action

People travelling by bus in County Durham are set to benefit from a newly agreed cap on the price of travel. Along with our partners on the North East Combined Authority, we have agreed to bring in a £2.50 cap on adult single fares from January – 50 pence lower than the £3 cap the government announced in the Budget. The new fare cap will be subsidised by the Combined Authority and is aimed at keeping the cost of travel as low as possible next year. Commercial bus operators will determine how much they charge up to the £2.50 cap. The Combined Authority’s Cabinet has also committed to keeping the region’s £1 flat fare for passengers aged 21 and under across public transport in 2025, with the ambition that this stays in place until 2028. Cllr Elizabeth Scott, our Cabinet member for economy and partnerships and our representative on the Combined Authority’s Joint Transport Sub-Committee, said: “We know these continue to be hard times for people financially and anything we can do to help, we will. We’re therefore really pleased to have worked with our partners on the Combined Authority to cap the cost of adult journeys at £2.50 from January – saving people 50 pence per journey on the figure announced by the government recently. This regionwide investment in subsidising this cap is a sign of devolution working to deliver affordable public transport in these difficult times and we would encourage people to take advantage from January. “We’re also delighted to be working through the Combined Authority to keep the flat £1 fare for under 21s, which we hope will help young people by keeping the cost of their daily journeys down.”  

Our project to restore Whorlton Bridge piece by piece has reached a key milestone, as the final parts have been dismantled. With the components of the bridge now all carefully removed and placed in storage, each individual piece will now undergo testing before being refurbished - blasted and painted – and reassembled. As a designated historic monument and Grade II* listed structure, we will be reconstructing the bridge to its original specifications and are striving to reuse as many of the original components as possible. Reconstruction of the bridge is set to begin next spring. 

We are creating a temporary accommodation panel to support our temporary accommodation needs. Accommodation providers are invited to express an interest and become a member of the panel to provide accommodation to our clients. Interested providers will need to register on OPEN and complete an application. https://lnkd.in/gzAFB9Tq The expression of interest window ends on 29 January 2025,10:00am. 

Tonight we have lit up Clayport Library as a show of solidarity with Liverpool City Council ahead of the reopening of #SpellowLibrary tomorrow (12 Dec). The library had been closed following the unrest across the country this summer. Let’s #ShareTheLight on libraries as sanctuaries of knowledge and community. 💡📚

We’re delighted to have won the Best Carbon Reduction award at this year’s Investors in the Environment Awards in recognition of the steps we are taking to tackle climate change. We have also maintained the highest level of green accreditation from the Investors in the Environment programme for the third year running. Judges were impressed by the breadth of activity we are undertaking, which has led to a 64 per cent (50,000 tonne) reduction in carbon emissions since 2008/2009. They also praised our third Climate Emergency Response Plan, which sets out more than 230 actions that will have a direct impact on council and countywide emissions. Our willingness to share knowledge and support others to cut emission was also highlighted.

🌳Exceptional senior leadership role available with Durham County Council as their new Head of Environment. Due to the forthcoming retirement of their current head of service, the council now have an amazing opportunity for an exceptional, experienced and dynamic leader looking to make the next step in their career. You’ll spearhead the delivery of a wide range of environmental services, both front line and strategic including all aspects of waste management, neighbourhood protection and enforcement, bereavement services, grounds maintenance, street cleansing, parks and countryside, allotments, fleet management, depots/workshops, landscape and ecological services. You'll also ensure active participation in key partnerships such as Durham Heritage Coast, North Pennines National Landscape and North East Community Forest and be responsible for driving carbon reduction and sustainability agendas in response to the council’s climate and ecological emergency declarations. The council are looking for someone who is inspiring, motivating and committed to developing staff in a modern, compassionate, learning and caring culture. You’ll have significant experience of leading the delivery of operational frontline environmental services at a strategic leadership level. You'll bring strong interpersonal skills alongside a thorough understanding of the national policy and legislative context. You’ll have passion and ideas to help the council achieve its ambitious carbon reduction, waste minimisation and environmental targets. Find out more 👉 https://ow.ly/UeHp50UnHFw 💷Salary: £131,207 📅Closing date: 10th January #NEJobs #NorthEastJobs #PublicSectorJobs #EnvironmentalServices

Help us shape the future of transport in the North East The North East Local Transport Plan outlines our Mayor's vision for a green, integrated transport system that works for all. Have your say by taking part in our online event on Tuesday 3 December from 17:30 - 18:30 👉 https://orlo.uk/1NC1d Can't make it? Fill in the survey online 👉 https://orlo.uk/F305d #NorthEastLTP #Consultation Kim McGuinness Durham County Council Gateshead Council Newcastle City Council North Tyneside Council Northumberland County Council South Tyneside Council Sunderland City Council

Our The North East Technology Park - NETPark is to receive more than £11m towards its expansion. The North East Combined Authority's Cabinet has approved £11.3m of funding for the Sedgefield site from its £160m flagship North East Investment Zone (NEIZ), which aims to drive growth across green energy and manufacturing businesses and is expected to unlock around £3 billion in private sector investment over the next decade. Cllr Amanda Hopgood, our Leader and combined authority Cabinet member for culture, creative, tourism and sport, said: "This is a huge step forward for County Durham. It's a significant investment that is in recognition of the fantastic employment opportunities that NETPark presents our region and is a further boost on the back of the £62m we as a council committed to the third phase of the site with support from the former North East Local Enterprise Partnership.  "We're talking about the potential for ultimately thousands of new jobs and the ability to attract and retain businesses in the science, technology and engineering sectors." The NEIZ investment will be used to unlock the next zone of the £100m NETPark phase 3 for future development and accelerate the development of a first commercial unit – expected to be 158,000 sq ft - in response to strong interest from potential inward investors. This will involve the remediation of 548,000 sq ft of underdeveloped land, including delivering essential infrastructure works consisting of roads, groundworks, electrical grid connections and is expected to create more than 250 direct jobs and support 500 more in subsequent phases. The works, to be led by our Business Durham business support service, will unlock major investment opportunities that would otherwise be lost to the region, and will create significant opportunities in the regional supply chain. With contributions from the combined authority, we’ve already invested £48m at NETPark and have committed to further investment of £24m subject to further funding being secured. The Phase 3 expansion will provide in total 14 new innovation focused units across 16 hectares of space for offices, laboratories, and advanced manufacturing.

Children and young people with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND) in County Durham “feel valued, visible, included in their communities, and listened to.” That was one of the findings of an inspection of the county’s services for children and young people with SEND, which have now been reported to the Health and Wellbeing Board. The inspection, in June, covered education, health and care services across County Durham for children and young people from birth to 25 with SEND. A report following the inspection, carried out by the Care Quality Commission and Ofsted, commented on a number of “key strengths” which also included: Collaborative leadership being strong across education, health and social care and local leaders prioritise SEND. 🔹 Children and young people build transferable skills so that they can participate in wider activities. 🔹 There is improvement in the length of time taken to complete new assessments. 🔹 Most children and young people have their needs identified and met early. 🔹 Children and young people with SEND have good attendance and this is improving further. 🔹 Persistent absence from school is reducing, preparing young people well in education, training, and employment. 🔹 Parents and carers state that their voice is mostly heard well, some have seen improvements to support and services as a result. The report also identified four areas for improvement, building on recent work, and a strategic action plan setting out how these will be addressed has already been published on our SEND local offer website: https://lnkd.in/ecJyKCEa