Type Unitary authority Chief Executive Terry Collins Voting system First past the post | Leader Simon Henig Seats 126 councillors Founded 1888 | |
Political groups Executive (94)
Labour (94)
Opposition (33)
Durham Independent Group (13)
Liberal Democrats (9)
Conservative (4)
Durham County Council Independent Group (2)
Independent (5) Last election Durham County Council election, 2013 | ||
Durham County Council is the local authority of County Durham (excluding Darlington, Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees) in North East England. Since 2009 it has been a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. From 1889 to 2009 it was a county council in a two-tier arrangement.
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At the time of the 2011 census it served a population of 513,200, which makes it one of the most-populous local authorities in England. It has its headquarters at County Hall in Durham.
Durham county council meeting
History
Durham County Council was initially established in 1889 as the upper-tier local authority for the administrative county of Durham. The county council was reconstituted in 1974 as a non-metropolitan county council. Darlington was removed from the area of responsibility in 1997. Durham County Council became a unitary authority on 1 April 2009 when the seven remaining districts of the county (Durham (City), Easington, Sedgefield (Borough), Teesdale, Wear Valley, Derwentside, and Chester-le-Street) were abolished and the county council absorbed their non-metropolitan district functions.
Following the structural changes in 2009, legislation allows for the council to name itself "The Durham Council", however the council has retained the name of Durham County Council.
The current leader of the council, Simon Henig is since 15 April 2014 also chair of the North East Combined Authority.