Durham council action plan welcomed after external review

An external review of the local authority praised its financial stability and performance, highlighting the “strong and unified culture” among councillors and staff. 

The Corporate Peer Challenge, conducted by the Local Government Association (LGA) last year, identified “strong strategic direction and stability” within the new administration after Reform UK gained overall control of the local authority at the May 2025 local elections.

Council officials have now set out an action plan for continuous improvement following the positive review. 

Andrew Husband, council leader, said: “Being a new administration, it would have been easy for us to defer the inspection, but we didn’t. 

“If we are to make continuous improvements, the views of senior officers and cabinet members from other authorities are important to hear.”

The council’s partnership working and commitment to community engagement were also praised. 

Among several recommendations, the LGA urged the council to establish a comprehensive transformation programme to address the budget gap and drive sustainable change, and develop a refreshed digital strategy. 

The review also called on the authority to “further develop the council’s place leadership as part of the North East Combined Authority and County Durham Vision 2035” and “recognise and demonstrate the council’s leadership role in promoting social cohesion across the entire community.”

Cabinet members were told that around 92 per cent of actions are already underway or complete, with work ongoing to implement the others. 

The challenge process is designed to support local councils in improving their performance and governance. Officers from the LGA interviewed more than 100 council representatives, including councillors, officers and staff, during the review in October 2025.

Darren Grimes, deputy leader, told a cabinet meeting: “We have already come a long way since October, and I have no doubt that when we get the follow-up review later this year, we will have made even more progress and that will be acknowledged by the peer team. 

“Some of the actions are straightforward and already addressed, but others are whole council actions that require us to build on that unified culture identified by our peers and work together to deliver the outcomes that the people of County Durham deserve. 

“We have all played our part in getting the council to where it is today. And what’s more, we have all had a part to play in what happens next and how we achieve continuous improvement.”

A progress review will take place later this year to assess the council’s implementation of the recommendations.

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