Working together for County Durham

Increasing access to free school meals, providing warm and welcoming spaces, supporting rural communities and helping businesses to thrive are just some examples of partnership work in action in County Durham.

Next week, Durham County Council’s Cabinet will receive an update on the issues being addressed by the County Durham Partnership (CDP).

Made up of leaders from key public, private and voluntary sector organisations – including the local authority – the CDP aim is to improve the quality of life for people within the county.

Its vision is for County Durham to be a place where there are more and better jobs, people live long and independent lives and communities are well connected.

Key projects and achievements over the last 12 months include:

More and better jobs

• An economic review found 8,000 more residents are now in employment than before the Inclusive Economic Strategy was adopted in 2022. The review also showed that the economy has largely recovered from Covid-19 and that in some parts of the economy, such as employment levels and productivity, pre-pandemic levels have been exceeded.
• The County Durham Economic Partnership brought key partners together for a conference to discuss the challenges faced by rural communities in relation to economic growth. As a result, funding was provided to Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Services to support communities, including delivering rural skills training. Rural issues will also be a key focus of the Inclusive Economic Strategy.
• A new Enterprise Framework and Business Growth Programme are among initiatives introduced to support businesses. Important employability programmes, such as DurhamWorks, were also continued to help people into work and training.
• DurhamEnable – a programme that helps jobseekers and employers to breakdown the barriers to work faced by people with disabilities, neurodiversities, and long-term health conditions – was ranked as excellent in its most recent Supported  Employment Quality Framework assessment.

People live long and independent lives 

• An additional 2,469 children received a free school meal after a scheme which automatically enrolled eligible families was piloted in County Durham. This resulted in a further 1,700 households saving £400 a year and unlocked an estimated £3.5 million in additional funding for schools.
• A Making Suicide Everybody’s Business Conference, supported by the Health and Wellbeing Board, took place for professionals across the system. The conference brought people together to look at action already being taken in County Durham and to explore what more can be done to prevent suicide.
• The Environment and Climate Change Partnership Plan 2025 – 2028 was adopted.
• Communities and organisations that go the extra mile to care for the environment were celebrated at the annual County Durham Environment Awards.

Connected communities

• This year, the County Durham Partnership’s annual event focused on how partners can work together to empower communities.
• The council’s 14 Area Action Partnerships (AAPs) will be replaced by 12 Local Networks from April. The aim is to increase opportunities for communities and individuals to get involved in improving their area.
• 75 Welcome Spaces were supported between October 2024 to January 2025, with £190,000 of funding allocated to community groups and organisations across the county. Durham County Council and Point North led the scheme, which helped to create a network of warm, safe and welcoming places for people to come together over the colder winter months.
• An Energy Efficiency Grant fund was provided to the council to support community buildings to reduce their carbon footprints and fuel costs. A range of measures have been taken across the country, including improving insulation; solar panel installation; lighting and heating improvements; window and door replacement; and the introduction of air source heat pumps.
• The Safe Durham Partnership was shortlisted for the Exemplary Partnership Award at the National Anti-Social Behaviour Awards in recognition of its work to establish a joint approach to tackling anti-social behaviour in County Durham and Darlington.

Cllr Elizabeth Scott, Durham County Council’s cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: “We firmly believe in the power of partnership work to improve people’s lives and boost the county’s economy.

“By working together, we can draw on a wealth of skills, experience, knowledge and resources, and we can reach more people.

“This is at the heart of the County Durham Partnership, along with a joint desire to empower our communities, support businesses and attract investment.

“We’re delighted to share such a positive update on the partnership’s work over the last 12 months, and we’re looking forward to a busy year ahead following the launch of our new Local Networks.”

The CDP is made up of the CDP Board, CDP Forum, five thematic partnerships, safeguarding boards, 14 Area AAPs and a range of sub-groups and networks. This includes town and parish councils, faith groups, the Armed Forces and the voluntary and community sector.

To find out more, visit www.countydurhampartnership.co.uk.