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Council documents

Constitution

At the Annual Council meeting of 7th May, 2002, the City of Durham Council agreed a document which sets out how the Council operates, how decisions are made and the procedures which are followed to ensure that these are efficient, transparent and accountable to local people. Some of these processes are required by law, while others are at the discretion of the Council. The Constitution is reviewed by the Council's Monitoring Officer and updated to reflect new procedures, powers and functions undertaken by the Council.

Because of the size of the whole document, the constitution has been broken down in to parts:

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Corporate Performance Plan

This document combines both the Best Value Performance Plan and the Corporate Plan and represents Durham City Council's move towards the strategic organisation of the delivery of our services.

It sets out our main priorities and how these important priority issues will be addressed under the City Council's aim to bring about real change through the corporate efforts of the Authority, working on its own and in partnership.

The plan details how we have performed against the targets we set and how we intend to measure our progress in the future to ensure we meet our aims and objectives.

Corporate Performance Plan 2008

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Corporate Best Value Performance Plan Summary 2008

This summary provides details of the Council's performance over the past year against the challenging targets we set ourselves. We continually monitor our performance and look for ways to improve the way we do things to ensure that we are providing the best possible service in the areas that matter most to the public.

Corporate BVPP Summary 2008

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Annual Report

This document combines a summary of the Council's corporate aims and objectives with a summary of our key achievements, performance and financial accounts for the period 2007-2008.

Annual Report 2007-2008

The Annual Reports for 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 are available below

Annual Report 2006-2007

Annual Report 2005-2006

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Homelessness Strategy

The Homelessness Act 2002 required each local authority in England to publish a Homelessness Strategy by the end of July 2003. Local authorities are required to show in their strategies how they intend to:

  • prevent homelessness
  • ensure that there is enough accommodation available to meet needs for homeless people and those who may become homeless
  • and ensure that there is satisfactory support available to meet needs of homeless people and those who may become homeless, and prevent them from becoming homeless again

City of Durham Council 2003-2008 Housing Strategy

Sub-Regional Homelessness Strategy:

In October 2006, the Department for Communities and Local Government announced plans to change the way local authorities work. They published a White Paper "Strong and prosperous communities" that aimed to improve local government and give local people and local communities more influence and power to improve their lives. This included inviting proposals for reorganising two-tier local government areas into one unitary authority. Following consideration of the proposals from the District Councils in County Durham and Durham County Council, the Government confirmed on 5th December 2007 that there was to be a single unitary council for County Durham established by 2009. From April 2009 housing and homelessness services will be delivered by the new authority, presenting challenges and opportunities for service delivery in these areas, including building upon the excellent services provided across the county, and addressing areas of unmet need to ensure all those in housing need have access to services and opportunities to prevent homelessness, offer suitable housing solutions and support to create sustainable tenancies.

In response to this challenge, County Durham Homelessness Action Partnership agreed to develop a sub-regional homelessness strategy. This document represents the strategic vision for services across the new unitary authority from April 2009 to meet housing needs across a diverse geographical and demographic area.

To keep you informed of the work of the current housing options service, our action plan from April 2008 to March 2009 is attached.

Click on the link for the current draft of the Sub-Regional Homelessness Strategy . The document is currently open for consultation and comments are welcome. Please click on this link for the consultation questionnaire.

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Customer Care Strategy

Customer Care is much more than a document. It is a way of working, a way of thinking and a way of developing our organisation to meet the needs and expectations of our customers. It is a combination of:

  • The way we treat our customers
  • The systems and procedures we have in place to allow us to deal with our customers
  • The standards of conduct and behaviour expected of our staff in dealing with our customers
  • Our pledge to listen to our customers and learn from their comments

View our full Customer Care Strategy

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Forward Plan

The Forward Plan provides information on when key decisions are likely to be made, who will make the decision, to whom representations can be made, the consultation arrangements and what documents relating to those decisions will be available.

A key decision is defined in the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information)(England) Regulations 2000 as one which is likely to:

  1. result in the local authority incurring expenditure which is, or the making of savings which are, significant having regard to the local authority's budget for the service or function to which the decision relates; or
  2. be significant in terms of its effects on communities living or working in an area comprising two or more wards or electoral divisions in the area of the local authority

An up-to-date Forward Plan is always available.

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Statement of Accounts

The Statement of Accounts sets out the financial position of the Authority at the end of the financial year. It incorporates a summary of the money spent during the year on the services that the Council provides (consolidated revenue account), details of the Council's assets, investments and reserves (consolidated balance sheet) with supporting explanatory notes.

Annual Statement of Accounts 2006/2007 Draft [PDF 4.0 MB]

Summary Statement of Accounts 2006/2007 Draft [PDF 500KB]

Annual Statement of Accounts 2005/2006

Summary Statement of Accounts 2004/2005 [PDF 500KB]

Annual Statement of Accounts 2004/2005 [PDF 4.5MB]

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Statement of Accounts - Central Durham Crematorium Joint Committee.

Central Durham Crematorium Joint Committee - Annual Report and Statement of Accounts 2005/2006

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Revenue and Capital Budgets

The Revenue and Capital Budget Book is available to download below It contains information on the Council's overall budget position and background to the budget process.

Revenue and Capital Budgets 2006/2007

Revenue and Capital Budgets 2005/2006

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Sickness Declaration Form

Download sickness declaration form

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Other pages you may find useful

Contact Details

For further information or specific help with information on this page, please contact us:

City of Durham CityInfo
Telephone: 0191 301 8499 or Fax: 0191 301 8555
Fill out a contact form

In an emergency, outside of office hours, please call 0191 386 6111