Whilst government advice to work from home is likely to continue until at least Easter, Ben Healey from Greystone Legal answers some frequent questions regarding employees WFH. Do my employees have to WFH? Employees should only attend their workplace when they cannot reasonably work from home. Employers should take "every possible step" to...

Female staff at Durham County Council have been sharing their experience of working in traditionally male-dominated roles, as part of this year’s International Women’s Day. In order to celebrate this year’s theme, Choose to Challenge, the local authority hosted a webinar for County Durham schoolchildren, encouraging them to question...

Work is set to begin on a major business park for County Durham, paving the way for 4,000 new jobs and a £400m boost to the economy. Durham County Council is to begin work on the park at Aykley Heads, at Durham City, having already pledged £6m to the project’s first phase. The remaining £6m phase one comes from the government’s...

Thanks to funding secured through Great Aycliffe and Middridge Partnership, Junction 7 in Newton Aycliffe have successfully supported families across the area during the Covid-19 pandemic. Junction 7 were successful in applying for and securing two grants through the GAMP Covid-19 Area Budget fund, to help them provide much-needed food,...

Sara Davies MBE has been named as one of the ‘10 Most Admired Businesswomen to watch in 2021’ in an international publication. The Newton Aycliffe-based entrepreneur and Dragons’ Den investor featured on the front cover of US-based CIO Views magazine to celebrate 10 businesswomen to watch throughout the year. Sara was the only...

A prominent Labour councillor has praised the government’s spring budget – but still thinks they could have done more for the NHS, council coffers and climate change. The Tees Valley region was one of the standout, if not the biggest winner from chancellor Rishi Sunak’s budget last week. With Treasury North coming to Darlington –...

Durham County Council has set out its priorities and expectations for supporting levelling up for its communities and the economy as the county emerges from the devastating impact of the pandemic. The authority’s Cabinet will be asked to acknowledge that an initial investment of at least £500m is required from government levelling up and...

Tackling the problems caused by derelict buildings and land is a key focus of ambitious plans to enhance towns and villages across County Durham. Next week, Durham County Council’s Cabinet will be asked to endorse the local authority’s ongoing commitment to addressing these issues as part of its multi-million-pound Towns and Villages...

The latest phase of a major scheme is now underway with the development of a range of industrial units at Station Place in Newton Aycliffe. Station Place, which is now under construction, is part of the wider £90m Merchant Park industrial scheme – a 65-acre development at Aycliffe Business Park and home to Hitachi Rail. The new £4.8m...

Students from Greenfield Community College have been returning to site this week with guidelines in place to ensure a safe and positive learning experience. The school says the resilience and commitment shown by students has been exceptional with valuable support from expert staff, families and carers. Measures are in place for a...