Durham County Council’s new Reform UK leadership has launched a public consultation on its new Council Plan which is likely to see environmental policy as the main source of contention. Reforming the council to make it more efficient could also prove controversial, though perhaps more so within the council itself than with the general public.
The old Plan, approved in February to cover the years 2025-29, highlights the fact that: “We declared a climate emergency in 2019 and committed to reduce our carbon emissions to net zero by 2030 and contribute towards a net zero county by 2045. We declared an ecological emergency in 2022 and committed to address ecological decline.”
The new council has already rescinded the climate emergency and declared a care emergency instead, as reported by Peter Sagar in North East Bylines on 17 July. The new Plan pledges itself to: “A practical rather than ideological environmental stewardship,”
There is no significant disagreement on social care, however. According to the old Plan: “We want to help our residents live long and independent lives and remain in good health for as long as possible.” The new Plan states an ambition of “Caring for people and supporting those who need it.”
Council reform, as mentioned, may cause upset, even turmoil, within County Hall. In words that staff may see as threatening, the new Plan sets out a succinct ambition of “Reforming the council to make it an efficient, effective servant of the people, ensuring taxpayers’ money is spent wisely and well.”
The old Plan contained a similar provision, though expressed in more waffly terms: “We want to be an excellent council with effective governance arrangements, a good grip on our performance and finances, a workforce fit for the future making best use of the latest technology to provide an effective service that listens to the views of our residents and service users.”
The two remaining ambitions in the new Plan are little different in substance from the old one. On the economy, the new Plan’s ambition is “Supercharging the economy to make County Durham the best place in the North East to do business.”. That replaces the former: “We want to create a sustainable, inclusive economy with a diverse range of more and better jobs that meet all skills levels.”
And on communities, the new ambition is: “Building better communities to ensure a connected, safe, clean and thriving place to live.” That replaces the old Plan’s statement that: “We want our communities to be well connected and supportive of each other, with vibrant and accessible towns and villages which are well used, clean, attractive and safe.
The new Council Plan will run from 2025 to 2030, Consultation runs until 18 August and County Durham residents can comment here.
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