The City of Durham Green Business Award is a new initiative by the Parish Council to celebrate and promote local businesses that are making positive changes for the environment.

The competition is free of charge to enter and is open to all businesses in the City of Durham parish area. We would like to recognise businesses in our City that are real recycling champions as part of this scheme with the offer of a recycling champion branded window sticker for your business frontage.

At the same time, we will also be celebrating a winning business which goes above and beyond in our joint aim of tackling climate change. A cash prize of £1,000 for the winning business is available as well as the chance to be named “Durham City’s Green Business of the Year 2023”.

To take part, simply complete the online form by scanning the barcode below or by completing the form via this link by no later than Thursday 26th October 2023. The winner will be announced soon after the closing date.

To check that your business is located within our parish area, check out this interactive map: Parish map locator

The best of luck to all of our wonderful Durham City businesses and thank you for helping us tackle climate change in our City!!

Financial contributions from student landlords have helped the “Green Move Out” operation in Durham City this year.

The City of Durham Parish Council took the unprecedented step of writing to each student landlord in Durham to request a financial contribution towards its precept in an effort to clean up the City – a move which many local residents described as “long overdue”.

Councillors voted to make this request at the Full Council meeting in March this year. Councillors voiced concerns that waste and noise associated with student properties were a regular source of complaint from neighbouring residents and the Parish Council expressed the desire to work proactively with the private-rental sector to tackle these issues at their source.

The appeal itself generated over £3,500 from local landlords and the University – itself a student accommodation provider – and this helped to provide additional collections on Sundays in and around the Move Out operation as well as extra neighbourhood wardens.

Over 4,340 properties in Durham City alone are now registered as student properties and therefore exempt from paying any Council tax at all – including tax payable to the Parish Council, Police, Fire Service and more. In the financial year 2019/20, a total of £7,429,000 was lost in Council tax revenue due to Class M and Class N (student) exemptions. The figure for 2020/21 increased significantly by £1,368,335 to £8,797,335. This has a huge implication for the delivery of services.

Chair of the Parish Council’s Environment Committee Coun. Carole Lattin (pictured) said: “We are delighted to work so proactively with the private-rental sector in Durham and to have received this contribution to our appeal from a number of landlords. This is very much partner-driven as we all recognise the benefits of maintaining our City as a safe, clean and green area for all to enjoy.”

She added: “I think the appeal raised a few eyebrows as no other University City Council has done this before but the Parish Council was elected to blaze a trail and that is what we are doing. These are small steps and the majority of donations came from individual landlords, Loc8me and the University. Sadly, a number of the bigger players in the market did not contribute to our appeal this year but this is something we hope to build on as the benefits of extra waste collection and neighbourhood wardens in the City during the Move Out operation were clear to us.”

Recent meetings of the Parish Council’s Environment Committee and Business Committee have agreed to continue this appeal into the future.

The City of Durham Parish Council has branded the proposed closure of ticket offices across the country – including the LNER-run ticket office at Durham station – as ‘immoral’ and is leading a campaign locally to get the plans reversed.

Earlier this year, Ministers recently announced plans to “modernise” the railway by closing all of England’s ticket offices. But the plans have been met with a groundswell of opposition, with the consultation amassing an unprecedented 680,000 responses and prompting organisations such as the Parish Council, local residents’ associations and disabled rights campaign groups in Durham to voice their strong opposition to the proposals.

In July, the Parish Council requested an urgent meeting with the Rail Minister Huw Merriman MP in a bid to save the Ticket Office at Durham Railway station but this was refused due to “other diary commitments.”

The outcome of the consultation was originally timetabled for assessment by 6th October, however both Transport Focus and London Travelwatch are understood to have requested an extension due to the sheer volume of feedback. In a government concession, they now have until the end of October to complete their evaluation.

According to FOI data released by the Department for Transport earlier this year, almost 140,000 tickets were sold in the ticket office in Durham in 2019 before the pandemic. The latest figures show that over 76,000 tickets were sold in the ticket office in 2022.

The Parish Council says that passengers would no longer have widespread and easy access to the purchase of rail products and best value fares if the ticket offices closures went ahead as planned. The Council argues that Durham has the highest number of passengers from among the stations where LNER propose to close the ticket office and demand for the ticket office in Durham remains high, with an estimated 14,000 tickets purchased each year at Durham Station alone.

The Parish Council has argued that the Ticket office closures would cause a significant worsening of the facilities and support offered to disabled, deaf and older residents. Already, disabled people face numerous barriers in accessing the rail network and are three times less likely to travel by rail than non-disabled people.

Chair of the Parish Council’s Business Committee, Coun. Richard Ormerod (pictured) said: “Rail users in Durham really value the exceptional service provided by the ticket office staff. In spite of the Minister’s lack of accountability in refusing to sit down with the Parish Council and other organisations, we remain wholly opposed to these proposals. Ticket office closures are clearly going to impact on disabled and elderly users the hardest – it is completely immoral and demonstrates a total lack of understanding of the barriers that disabled people face along the railway.”

He added: “The benefit of the human touch for railway users goes well beyond just the sale of tickets. Ticket Office staff are often first aid trained, provide users with a sense of security and safety when travelling at night and can also offer a range of ticket fares which often are not available via a ticket machine. Any supposed cost savings by cutting staff cannot be used to justify a policy that will worsen passenger service, accessibility, safety, security, and access to rail products.”

Councillor Ormerod, who represents the Elvet and Gilesgate division on both the Parish Council and County Council, has also gained the Leader of the County Council’s support in lobbying the Government to re-think these plans.

It is now understood that the proposals may now lead to a debate in parliament.

Durham City’s ShopWatch initiative has received a major boost after a cash investment by the local City of Durham Parish Council.

ShopWatch has been operating in Durham City in one form or another for some time now. The scheme has developed further since November 2022 through the work of the PCSO for Durham City Michael Ashurst and both the Police and daytime economy businesses in Durham are keen to continue this work.

ShopWatch is a partnership network of businesses in Durham City, linked by radio to each other and the police and includes the crime partnership software called SentrySIS. This scheme operates in most major cities, towns and shopping centres across the country, and collaborating with local councils and the police, ShopWatch has a purpose to deter and ultimately assist with the prevention of antisocial behaviour within public spaces as well as increasing personal safety and confidence amongst many retailers and their customers.

Key aims of the Durham City ShopWatch scheme include:

• To tackle and prevent retail crime and anti-social behaviour through effective communication and the prompt reporting of retail crime, anti-social behaviour and criminal activity.
• To promote a sense of security for customers and staff.
• To improve police/licensee liaison by providing effective communications through two-way radio.

Since ShopWatch began developing in November 2022, Durham has noted a reduction in shoplifting crime within the City. This has had a positive impact on local businesses by decreasing losses of stock as well as creating a safer environment for customers. Having a live form of communication between businesses and the police is clearly central to the success of this scheme.

ShopWatch meets at the end of every month and this is an important network of businesses which is well-attended and where feedback can be provided to the Police by retailers and the Police can also share intelligence to retailers (e.g. recent banning orders for individuals found guilty of an offence, etc.).

The scheme is now set to be expanded further with a total of 54 retailers in the City centre now signed up to ShopWatch. The Council’s funding will provide a further 14 licensed radio sets to some of the smaller independent businesses in the City. These businesses have expressed an interest in being part of this scheme and it is hoped that supporting businesses with the hire costs for a radio set for a 12-month period will incentivise them to continue with this scheme into the future. This will also allow businesses to assess the radio link while protecting their business by using the radio. Each business signed up to ShopWatch is also invited to sign up for the SentrySIS system.

In addition, Inspector Dave Clarke has also been successful in securing additional officers to cover the City centre and residents and businesses have noted an increased visible police presence during the day.

Chair of the City of Durham Parish Council, Coun. Alan Doig (pictured) said: “The Parish Council is delighted to work in partnership with Durham Police and our Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen as part of this excellent ShopWatch initiative and to fund this scheme for a period of 12 months. The provision of these additional radio sets will help to increase the coverage of the scheme across the City, thereby making this safer for businesses and visitors as well as growing the network of small businesses actively engaged in public safety within the City.”

He added: “One of the key aims of the Parish is to promote the daytime visitor economy of the City. Our message to anyone arriving in Durham to carry out a crime or commit anti-social behaviour is simple – you are not welcome here.”

Durham Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen (pictured) welcomed the investment by the Parish Council. She said: “its fantastic to see shop watch going from strength to strength in the city. Seeing partners working together, proactively sharing vital intelligence is obviously helping to prevent, deter and detect crime. I commend ShopWatch members and partners for helping to keep our City safer, stronger and more resilient to crime, drugs and anti-social behaviour.”

Any retailers in the City who wish to sign up to the ShopWatch initiative should contact PCSO Michael Ashurst via email at: michael.ashurst@durham.police.uk

The City of Durham Parish Council has requested an urgent meeting with the Rail Minister Huw Merriman MP in a final bid to save the Ticket Office at Durham Railway station.

Ministers recently announced a plan to “modernise” the railway by closing all of England’s ticket offices and opened an evidence-taking process which was due to last 21 days. However, on Wednesday, the Government announced that the consultation would be extended until 1st September leading to hopes that the ticket offices may be saved and the controversial plans to close all but a few ticket offices may be scrapped.

The consultation has already received 170,000 comments, according to watchdog Transport Focus and the Rail Delivery Group said operators are “keen to give more people a chance to give their views on the proposals”.

At its recent Business Committee meeting, the Parish Council heard concerns from a number of different stakeholder groups – particularly those representing people with mobility and other issues.

The Parish Council has already objected strongly to these proposals, which it describes as “abhorrent” and “in total contravention with Equality and Disability Discrimination Laws.”

The Parish Council says that passengers would no longer have widespread and easy access to the purchase of rail products and best value fares if the ticket offices closures went ahead as planned. The Council argues that Durham has the highest number of passengers from among the stations where LNER propose to close the ticket office and demand for the ticket office in Durham remains high, with an estimated 14,000 tickets purchased each year at Durham Station alone.

Durham station welcomes around 2.8 million travellers each year and this number has been on an upward trend with 1.2 million travellers using Durham Station in 2000/01.

The Parish Council has argued that the Ticket office closures would cause a significant worsening of the facilities and support offered to disabled, deaf and older residents. Already, disabled people face numerous barriers in accessing the rail network and are three times less likely to travel by rail than non-disabled people.

There has been overwhelming opposition to ticket office closures from disabled people’s organisations, including our own local Durham Access for All Group, Disability Rights UK, National Federation of the Blind UK, Transport for All, RNIB, RNID, Guide Dogs, Scope, Thomas Pocklington Trust, Winvisble, Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People and the MS Society.

Speaking at the Council’s recent Full Council meeting, Coun. Richard Ormerod (pictured) said “Rail users in Durham really value the exceptional service provided by the ticket office staff and proposals to close this service are clearly going to impact on disabled and elderly users the hardest. We are requesting an urgent meeting with the Rail Minister to ask that he and his Government re-think these plans which essentially boil down to staff cuts in all but name.”

He added: “The Parish Council is wholly opposed to any cuts to station staffing and believe any supposed cost savings cannot be used to justify a policy that will worsen passenger service, accessibility, safety, security, and access to rail products. It is deeply concerning that the Government and train operators have given no commitment that staffing numbers will not reduce as a result of ticket office closures.”

Councillor Ormerod, who represents the Elvet and Gilesgate division on both the Parish Council and County Council, has also gained the Leader of the County Council’s support in lobbying the Government to re-think these plans

Only the Customer Information Centres will sell the full range of tickets and the one nearest to Durham is in Newcastle. A passenger needing to make a journey at short notice will not be able to buy or renew a railcard unless they have a smartphone, which many older people do not possess.

The Parish Council is liaising with the Local MP’s office in order to facilitate this meeting however Ministers are understood to be reluctant to meeting with groups on these proposals.

Residents wishing to respond to this consultation are encouraged to do so by emailing: TicketOffice.LNER@transportfocus.org.uk

A full copy of the Parish Council’s response to this consultation can be found here.

The City of Durham Parish Council is currently inviting bids to carry out a one-time piece of research into the current and permitted operating hours of all licenced premises within the City of Durham Parish Council boundary area.

The Parish Council requires the production of an evidence document which illustrates any discrepancies between approved operating hours in planning permissions, approved opening hours in licensing permissions, opening hours advertised on premises’ websites and opening hours in practice for approximately. 163 licensed premises in Durham City.

A full list of all licenced premises within the City and their respective addresses will be provided by the Parish Council.

This work will require the compilation of a chart with 5 headings:

• licenced premises name and address
• published operating hours of the premises (on internet/front door)
• operating hours in planning permission document(s)
• operating hours in licensing permission document(s)
• additional brief information (only where required)

This research will involve the effective use of several online resources, e.g., research on internet into published opening hours of premises, research on Durham County Council planning portal into opening hours in planning permissions as well as potential visits to the Council’s Licensing Department at Annand House (DH7 8RS) to go over any licensing documentation for premises.

The work may also include some visits to licensed premises whose opening hours are not available online.
All bids should include a fixed fee for producing this document as well as time expected to be spent on its production. All bids should be submitted to the Parish Clerk by no later than 5pm on Wednesday 24th May 2023 via email to parishclerk@cityofdurham-pc.gov.uk

All bids should be supplemented by evidence that the individual has a research background, has experience of data management, is able to navigate their way around the Council’s online planning portal and is proficient in the use of Microsoft office tools e.g. Word, Excel, etc.

In addition, knowledge of Durham County Council planning and other procedures would be an advantage.
It is hoped that this document may be produced by no later than mid-July 2023 but the Council is able to be flexible with this deadline.

Should you have any queries about the bid process, please do not hesitate to contact the Parish Clerk Adam Shanley via email at parishclerk@cityofdurham-pc.gov.uk

(Local walking enthusiasts braved the rain in March and had a fabulous day of activity and discovery)

A new walking trail is being promoted featuring the history, architecture and landscape of Durham City. The new leaflet is a result of a partnership between City of Durham Trust and the City of Durham Parish Council to mark the Trust’s 80th anniversary.

The trail around the World Heritage Site is about 8km long and takes less than three hours at a gentle walking pace. There is an extension along the River Wear to the Old Durham Gardens taking a further half an hour. Given average fitness and enthusiasm for a good walk, it makes the perfect solo walk with the dog, a great family ramble, and even a super outing for a rambling club. Also featured is shorter route for wheelchairs around the Peninsular where there are fewer steep slopes and the surfaces are more suitable for wheelchair users and others with limited mobility.

John Lowe, the Chair of the City of Durham Trust said: “The Trust is certain that this fine trail around the Cathedral, Castle and riverbanks of the World Heritage site will become a popular route round the City’s many heritage sites and buildings. It is just one of several ways we are celebrating 80 years of commitment to the care for the City’s heritage.”

The Chair of the City of Durham Parish Council’s Environment Committee Coun. Carole Lattin said: “We are delighted to be publishing the leaflet with the Trust which will help both local people and visitors to enjoy more fully what Durham has to offer. It is also just what the City economy needs to encourage visitors to stay longer and boost tourism expenditure. We are indebted to David Miller, aided by other Trust members, for devising the trail and designing this exceptional leaflet.”

The leaflet will be distributed to local groups, businesses, and organisations and will be available to the public at the Town Hall in the Market Place as well as other public buildings across the City.

The City of Durham Parish Council is delighted to provide assistance and support to local community organisations which are set up to promote community life for our residents. The Council’s financial support is provided by way of grants, which are decided against criteria set by the Parish Council each year.

The funding window for grants is now open and will remain open until Friday 2nd June 2023. A decision on whether to award a grant will be made at our Full Council meeting on Thursday 22nd June 2023.

There is no limit to what each organisation can apply for but please bear in mind that the total grants fund for 2023-24 is £15,000 and we like to support as many organisations as we possibly can.

In order to receive a grant from the Parish Council, your organisation and the project for which you are seeking funding must comply with our agreed small grants policy.

You can see if the project for which you are hoping to apply for funding is in our parish area via this interactive map.

To apply for a small grant from the Parish Council, please complete this application form and return it to our Parish Clerk Adam by no later than 5pm on 2nd June 2023.

Please also remember to include the latest copy of your organisation’s audited accounts.

All application forms and accounts can either be returned via email to parishclerk@cityofdurham-pc.gov.uk or via post to: City of Durham Parish Council. c/o Office 3, Clayport Library. 8 Millennium Place. Durham. DH1 1WA.

You can find out more about some of the most recent fantastic local projects the Parish Council has supported via this report from previous grant award winners.

We are delighted to work in partnership to deliver a better City of Durham parish area for all.

What is a precept?

Each year in January, the City of Durham Parish must decide its budget for the forthcoming financial year and submit a precept request to Durham County Council. The Precept is a tax that Parish Council’s charge their local electors to meet their budget requirements. Parish Councils do not receive any direct funding from central government and rely on their Precept plus any other income they generate from services or facilities they provide. The Parish Council Precept is part of the Council Tax and is collected from local electors via their Council Tax payments.

How is it Calculated?

The Precept requirement is the difference between the Parish Council’s estimated income and its anticipated spending requirements for the financial year (its budget). The financial year runs from 1st April to 31st March. The Parish Council needs to agree a budget before it can set its Precept and both must be agreed by the full Parish Council.

When calculating the Precept, the City of Durham Parish Council takes into consideration:

– current year’s spending levels – for ongoing services for which it is responsible e.g. recreation facilities, lighting, cemeteries, insurance and cost of the Parish Office
– costs of any additional spending plans or projects
– provision for contingencies and reserves
– levels of anticipated income – from services for which it is responsible e.g. rental income, allotment fees, burial fees, grants

Currently there is no cap on the amount that Parish Councils can raise via their precept (District
Councils and County Councils are capped at 4.99%). Parish Councils should be able to explain and justify larger precept increases.

Tax base and Band D equivalent

Part of the Precept Calculation is the ‘Band D equivalent’. Band D is the middle band of Council Tax and is supposed to represent the amount of Council Tax paid on an average property in the area. Council Tax base is calculated by taking the number of houses in the City of Durham Parish Council area, allocating a weight to them based on their council tax banding and adding up the total of the weighted households. For example, higher council tax band properties carry a higher weighting and lower council tax base properties carry a lower council tax weighting. The Council Tax Base can therefore fluctuate from year to year based on the number of properties in each area. For example, council tax base will increase if any new houses have been built and the occupants have started to pay council tax but may decrease if for example any houses have been demolished in an area or have changed their use from Use Class C3 to Use Class C4 or sui generis (non-tax paying Use Classes).

City of Durham Parish Council budgets and precept

Financial year 2023/24
City of Durham Parish Council budget 2023-24
Total precept and charge by Council tax band 2023-24

Financial year 2022/23
City of Durham Parish Council budget 2022-23
Total precept and charge by Council tax band 2022-23

Financial year 2021/22
City of Durham Parish Council budget 2021-22
Total precept and charge by Council tax band 2021-22

This year, the City of Durham Parish Council will once again be organising and judging the Durham City ‘Best Christmas Business Frontage Competition’. The competition aims to add an extra level of sparkle to Durham City during the festive season and hopes to promote businesses in the City of Durham Parish area as a whole to shoppers and visitors of our great City. The winner of each of the business categories will win a prize of £500.

Eligibility

Any business within Durham City and which has indicated that they wish to take part in the competition by completing and returning the application form is eligible to take part in this year’s competition. Please complete this application form and return it to us via email at parishclerk@cityofdurham-pc.gov.uk by 5pm on 6th December 2022.

Judging and Judging Criteria

The window display that is judged must be the same as the display that will continue to be in the business window(s) throughout the Christmas period.

The competition is between individual businesses in each of the following categories:

• an independent business;
• a chain store;
• an indoor market stall; or
• a non-retail business

Whilst businesses may choose to adopt a theme of their own, it is individual business displays that will be judged.

We will judge against the following criteria:

• Innovation and creativity. How new or different is the window display?
• Spirit of Christmas and festivity. How well does the display convey the ‘Spirit of Christmas’ and a festive message?
• Merchandising (not included in the non-retail category) how well does the business show case its merchandise to shoppers.
• Overall impression and visual impact. E.g. how well is the window lit up?

Judges will award up to 5 points for each of the criteria (a total of 20 for independent business, a chain store, an indoor market stall and 15 for the non-retail business). Judges will work together and will agree the score against each criterion and therefore the total score. The highest score from each of the business categories will win a £500 prize.

Judging

Judging will take on Thursday 8th December from 2pm so please have your windows complete by this time. The results will be announced on Friday 9th December 2022.

Awards Presentation

The Awards presentation will take place at the City of Durham Parish Council Christmas Civic event at Durham Town Hall on Monday 12th December between 6:30pm and 10pm. All winning businesses in each category will receive an invitation to the awards ceremony with further details after the final judging.