City of Durham
Encyclopedia
The City of Durham was, from 1974 to 2009, a non-metropolitan district
of County Durham
in North East England
, with the status of borough
and city
.
with Brandon and Byshottles Urban District and Durham Rural District
. The district was abolished as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England
.
behind the Lord Mayors of London, York, Cardiff and Belfast http://www.durhamcity.gov.uk/Pid/3601/15. Since the merger of the City Council into the Durham County Council unitary authority in 2009, mayoral appointments have been made by the Charter Trustees of the City of Durham (composing the Durham County Councillors with divisions within the former City of Durham district area).
or Brandon and Byshottles Urban District are all parished. The current Brandon and Byshottles Parish Council is co-terminous with the pre-1974 UDC and has inherited some of its responsibilities (e.g. allotments).
Civil Parishes in the former City of Durham district are:
although Durham will retain its city charter through the appointment of charter trustees
. All functions of principal authority local government
are now administered by a unitary Durham County Council, including the appointment of the Mayor of Durham. There is a current proposal to create a Durham Town Council, covering the city centre and Newton Hall. While supported by the Liberal Democrat
controlled City Council, the Labour
controlled County Council has opposed it.
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
of County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
in North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
, with the status of borough
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
and city
City status in the United Kingdom
City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
.
Formation
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the existing City of Durham and FramwelgateDurham and Framwelgate
Durham and Framwelgate was a municipal borough with the status of city in County Durham, England.The corporation of the ancient borough of Durham and Framwelgate was reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835....
with Brandon and Byshottles Urban District and Durham Rural District
Durham Rural District
Durham was a rural district in County Durham, England from 1894 to 1974. It was created under the Local Government Act 1894 based on the Durham rural sanitary district and covered an area around the City of Durham, which was a municipal borough....
. The district was abolished as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England
2009 structural changes to local government in England
Structural changes to local government in England were effected on 1 April 2009, whereby a number of new unitary authorities were created in parts of the country which previously operated a 'two-tier' system of counties and districts...
.
Durham City Council
The Council was made up of 50 councillors elected in all-out elections every four years (last elections 2007). The last political composition was Liberal Democrat 27, Labour 15, Independent 8. The 2003 elections saw the Liberal Democrats gain overall political control of the council from Labour, benefiting from boundary changes and substantial gains in Durham's eastern suburbs. Labour had held overall control of the City Council continually since the early 1980s.Mayors
Mayors of the City of Durham are styled "The Right Worshipful, The Mayor of Durham". The Mayoralty is taken as a continuation of the mayoralty of the pre-1974 Durham and Framwelgate. The Mayor of Durham is entitled to an armed ceremonial bodyguard and claims to be equal fifth in civic precedencePrecedence
Precedence may refer to:* Message precedence of military communications traffic* Order of precedence, the ceremonial hierarchy within a nation or state* Order of operations, in mathematics and computer programming...
behind the Lord Mayors of London, York, Cardiff and Belfast http://www.durhamcity.gov.uk/Pid/3601/15. Since the merger of the City Council into the Durham County Council unitary authority in 2009, mayoral appointments have been made by the Charter Trustees of the City of Durham (composing the Durham County Councillors with divisions within the former City of Durham district area).
List of Mayors since 1974
- 1974/75 John J. Ramshaw, B.E.M.
- 1975/76 Clifford Ellison, B.E.M.
- 1976/77 James Mackintosh
- 1977/78 Allan Thompson, J.P.
- 1978/79 Joseph Edward Wright, B.E.M., J.P.
- 1979/80 James Barr Lattimer, J.P.
- 1980/81 Joseph Sylvester Anderson
- 1981/82 William Taylor
- 1982/83 Walter Stobbs
- 1983/84 Derek Hanson
- 1984/85 Ebenezer Shuker
- 1985/86 Alan Crooks, J.P.
- 1986/87 Robert Clewes
- 1987/88 Ivy Elaine Humphries
- 1988/89 Mildred Brown
- 1989/90 James Alfred Fearon
- 1990/91 William Henry Hartwell
- 1991/92 David Bell
- 1992/93 Michael Rochford
- 1993/94 Maurice Crathorne, M.B.E.
- 1994/95 William Dermot Cavanagh, M.A.
- 1995/96 Stephen Terence McDonnell, D.N.
- 1996/97 Joseph Sylvester Anderson
- 1997/98 Neil Griffin, B.Ed, M.A.
- 1998/99 Derek Young
- 1999/00 Margaret Adair
- 2000/01 George Wharton
- 2001/02 John George Cowper
- 2002/03 Eileen Rochford
- 2003/04 Raymond Gibbon
- 2004/05 Mary Ruth Hawgood
- 2005/06 John George Taylor Lightley
- 2006/07 William Jeffrey Lodge
- 2007/08 Robert Wynn
- 2008/09 Grenville Holland
Other civic appointments
Other civic appointments in the City of Durham at its merger with Durham County Council included:- Deputy Mayor - currently Councillor Robert Wynn.
- Town Clerk - the Council's Chief Executive.
- Recorder - the Council's Director of Legal Services.
- Chaplain - the Dean of Durham Cathedral.
- Judicial Recorder (since 2005) - currently His Honour Judge Richard Lowden
- Billet Master - to be held by a senior Durham City police officer
- Pant Master - the Council's Director of Environmental Services
- Posts within the Mayoral Bodyguard
- Honorary Aldermen
Civil parishes
The central area of the City of Durham (the area covered by the pre-1974 City of Durham and Framwelgate) is not parished. Those parts of the district formerly part of Durham Rural DistrictDurham Rural District
Durham was a rural district in County Durham, England from 1894 to 1974. It was created under the Local Government Act 1894 based on the Durham rural sanitary district and covered an area around the City of Durham, which was a municipal borough....
or Brandon and Byshottles Urban District are all parished. The current Brandon and Byshottles Parish Council is co-terminous with the pre-1974 UDC and has inherited some of its responsibilities (e.g. allotments).
Civil Parishes in the former City of Durham district are:
- BearparkBearparkBearpark is a village and civil parish in County Durham in England. It is situated two and a half miles west of Durham, and a short distance to the north of Ushaw Moor....
- Belmont
- BrancepethBrancepethBrancepeth is a village and civil parish in County Durham, in England. It is situated about from Durham on the A690 road between Durham and Weardale. Brancepeth Castle was until 1570 the fortress of the Neville Earls of Westmorland. The castle was extensively modified and rebuilt in the 19th century...
- Brandon and ByshottlesBrandon and ByshottlesBrandon and Byshottles is a civil parish in County Durham, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 17,774. The parish includes Brandon, New Brancepeth, Langley Moor, Ushaw Moor, Meadowfield, Waterhouses and Esh Winning....
- Cassop-cum-QuarringtonCassop-cum-QuarringtonCassop-cum-Quarrington is a civil parish in County Durham, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 4,735.The parish covers a number of settlements:* Bowburn* Cassop* Old Cassop* Old Quarrington* Parkhill* Tursdale...
- CoxhoeCoxhoeCoxhoe is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated between Bowburn and Cornforth, a few miles south of Durham.Coxhoe is also a civil parish which also includes nearby Quarrington Hill....
- Croxdale and HettCroxdale and HettCroxdale and Hett is a civil parish in County Durham, England. It is situated approximately four miles south of Durham.The parish comprises the settlements of:* Croxdale* Hett* Sunderland BridgeFor electoral purposes the parish is divided into two wards:...
- Framwellgate MoorFramwellgate MoorFramwellgate Moor is a village and civil parish in County Durham, England. It is situated to the north of Durham, and is adjacent to Pity Me and Newton Hall. It has a population of 5,404....
- KelloeKelloeKelloe is a village and civil parish in County Durham, England. It is situated to the south-east of Durham.The village of Kelloe with a name that derives from Caluh Law had eight small coal mines in its vicinity during the last century but its history goes back well before the days of mining...
- PittingtonPittingtonPittington is a village and civil parish in County Durham, in England. It is situated a few miles north-east of Durham.Pittington is made up of the neighbouring settlements of Low Pittington and High Pittington...
- ShadforthShadforthShadforth is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated a few miles to the east of Durham. The historic centre of the village is designated a conservation area.Shadforth is also a civil parish that also incorporates Ludworth and Sherburn Hill....
- SherburnSherburn, County DurhamSherburn Village is situated 3.5 miles east of Durham in the north east of England. It is one of the "green villages" of County Durham.The village is located in the Sherburn division of Durham County Council and the City of Durham constituency for Westminster elections.-History:A settlement has...
- ShincliffeShincliffeShincliffe is a village in the County Durham in England. It is situated just over a mile to the south-east of Durham city centre, on the A177 road to Stockton...
- West RaintonWest RaintonWest Rainton is a village and civil parish in County Durham, England. It is situated between Durham and Houghton-le-Spring. Leamside is about to the west. The village straddles a ridge parallel to the A690 with extensive views to the west.-History:...
- Witton GilbertWitton GilbertWitton Gilbert is a village and civil parish in County Durham, England. It is situated to the north-west of Durham.The village once had a railway station on the...
Abolition
The district was abolished as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England2009 structural changes to local government in England
Structural changes to local government in England were effected on 1 April 2009, whereby a number of new unitary authorities were created in parts of the country which previously operated a 'two-tier' system of counties and districts...
although Durham will retain its city charter through the appointment of charter trustees
Charter Trustees
In England and Wales, charter trustees are set up to maintain the continuity of a town charter or city charter after a district with the status of a borough or city has been abolished, until such time as a parish council is established...
. All functions of principal authority local government
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
are now administered by a unitary Durham County Council, including the appointment of the Mayor of Durham. There is a current proposal to create a Durham Town Council, covering the city centre and Newton Hall. While supported by the Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
controlled City Council, the Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
controlled County Council has opposed it.