Building new affordable homes, providing temporary accommodation for people in need and delivering a programme that seeks to ensure housing providers are fit for purpose. Those are just some of the actions Durham County Council is to take through two new strategies it has developed to address housing needs, and tackle and prevent homelessness...

Durham County Council is committing to over 200 further actions as part of its ambitions to tackle climate change. The local authority’s cabinet has agreed the council’s third Climate Emergency Response Plan (CERP3) covering the period 2024 to 2027. It builds on the first two plans, CERP1 and CERP2, the first of which was established in...

I would love to say that all businesses are free from challenges from their people. But small issues can quickly escalate to larger problems ending in investigations and grievances. Although in business, grievances are not a daily occurrence, when they do happen, dealing with these situations when you’re not qualified can be tricky and can...

By Steven Dawson It has been another busy week for Aycliffe Running Club, with members travelling the length of the country this week to race. On Wednesday (July 3), Em Flynn was the sole representative for the club in the Croft Circuit Pitstop 10k running laps around the Croft Circuit track. Despite it being muggy and not quite feeling...

Latest tourism figures show a major boost for Durham’s economy as the county builds on its bumper £1bn milestone achieved in 2022, with new attractions playing a key role in helping the county reach a new record. Visit County Durham, the county’s Destination Management Organisation and Durham County Council’s tourism service, has...

A bin capable of weighing food waste and encouraging recycling and composting was the winning entry in an innovation competition for young entrepreneurs. The annual County Durham Future Business Magnates competition saw Year 8 pupils from local schools apply creativity and problem-solving to a range of challenges. Organised by Business...

People in County Durham are being asked for their views on information, advice and guidance services. Durham County Council commissions several local charities to deliver these services alongside those provided by its own Welfare Rights Team. They advise on a wide range of issues including managing money and debt, accessing benefits,...

Lee Weldon’s weekly round-up from the wicket... Saturday 6th July – NYSD Division 2 Newton Aycliffe 1st XI v Stockton 2nd XI – weather was cool and cloudy Newton Aycliffe won the toss and chose to bowl first. Stockton 2nd XI 111 all out after 38.4 overs James Layfield-Carroll 6 for 40, Luke Telford 2 for 6 and Ben Howard 2 for...

Newton Aycliffe’s defeated Conservative MP has told Aycliffe Today that he’s proud to have served what he describes as “my world” for the last five years. Paul Howell says he was elected in 2019 “on a blue tide” – but now he’s going out “on a low blue tide”. He polled just 8,195 votes in the 2024 General Election for the...

Following Labour’s General Election win, this is a good time for employers to start looking closely at Labour’s plans to reform employment law. The Labour Party published a Green Paper on its plan to “Make Work Pay”, which contains its proposals for new employment rights for workers. The emphasis is on Day One rights for employees,...