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Unitary authority area in England
County Durham is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is governed by Durham County Council. The district has an area of 2,226 square kilometres (859 sq mi), and contains 135 civil parishes. It forms part of the larger ceremonial county of Durham, together with boroughs of Darlington, Hartlepool, and the part of Stockton-on-Tees north of the River Tees.
History
Between 1974 and 1 April 2009, County Durham was governed as a two-tier non-metropolitan county, with a county council and district councils. The original eight districts were Chester-le-Street, Darlington, Derwentside, Durham (city), Easington, Sedgefield, Teesdale, and Wear Valley. In 1997 Darlington was removed from the non-metropolitan county and became a separate unitary authority. In 2009 the remaining districts were abolished and replaced by a single district covering the non-metropolitan county, with Durham County Council as the sole local authority.
Geography
The district has multiple hamlets and villages. Settlements with town status include Consett, Barnard Castle, Peterlee, Seaham, Bishop Auckland, Newton Aycliffe, Middleton-in-Teesdale, Shildon, Chester-le-Street, Crook, Stanley, Willington, Stanhope, Spennymoor, Ferryhill and Sedgefield while Durham is the only city in the district.
| Local authority | In relation to the district |
|---|---|
| Northumberland | North |
| Gateshead | North east |
| City of Sunderland | North east |
| Hartlepool | South east |
| Stockton-on-Tees | South east |
| Darlington | South |
| North Yorkshire | South |
| Westmorland and Furness | West |
Governance
Following the 2021 United Kingdom local elections, the council is now under control of a coalition of the Liberal Democrats, Conservative Party, Independents and North East Party.
Economy
The main industries where people in County Durham work are retail, health and social work, and manufacturing. The three largest industry groups for jobs based in the district are education, health, and manufacturing, while the three largest for businesses are construction, retail, and professional, scientific, and technical services.
Education
Further information: List of schools in County DurhamDurham LEA has a comprehensive school system with 36 state secondary schools (not including sixth form colleges) and five independent schools (four in Durham and one in Barnard Castle). Easington district has the largest school population by year, and Teesdale has the smallest with two schools. Only one school in Easington and Derwentside districts have sixth forms, with about half the schools in the other districts having sixth forms.
Media
Local TV coverage is provided by BBC North East and Cumbria and ITV Tyne Tees. Local radio stations include BBC Radio Newcastle, BBC Radio Tees, Capital North East, Heart North East, Smooth North East, Greatest Hits Radio North East, Nation Radio North East, TFM; and community radio stations Durham On Air, Bishop FM in Bishop Auckland, and Darlo Radio serving Darlington.
Notes
- The industry groups are derived from the UK's Standard Industrial Classification.
- Covering all businesses registered for VAT.
References
- "Councillors and MPs". Durham County Council. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – County Durham Local Authority (E06000047)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- "Durham unitary authority approved". BBC News. 25 July 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- "County Durham". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- "Durham council leader explains the benefits of a becoming large unitary authority". The Northern Echo. 2 March 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- "The Durham (Borough of Darlington) (Structural Change) Order 1995". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- "The County Durham (Structural Change) Order 2008". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- ^ OCSI and HACT for the Coalfields Regeneration Trust (10 January 2024). "Community Insight profile for 'County Durham' area" (Report). Retrieved 27 July 2024 – via Internet Archive.
- "Bishop FM". Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- "Darlington radio station makes move". The Northern Echo. 8 January 2019. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
External links
- Durham County Council information from GeoPunk
| Ceremonial county of Durham | |
|---|---|
| Unitary authorities | |
| Major settlements (cities in italics) |
|
| Topics | |
 Districts of North East England | ||
|---|---|---|
| County Durham |  | |
| Northumberland | ||
| Tyne and Wear | ||
| Teesside, North Yorkshire | ||