The Environment and Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee of County Durham Council was scheduled to discuss a range of environmental and community-focused topics. Key areas of focus included updates on the County Durham Environment Partnership, energy management strategies, financial outturns for the Neighbourhoods and Culture, Sport & Tourism services, and performance against the Council Plan.

County Durham Environment Partnership

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the County Durham Environment Partnership, which brings together public, private, and voluntary sector partners to address environmental issues. The partnership's work is coordinated through three workstreams: Climate, Ecology, and Place, Health and Community. A plan for 2025-28, outlining six strategic priorities, was agreed in September 2024. However, due to recent changes including the rescinding of the Climate Emergency declaration by Durham County Council and the agreement of a new Council Plan, the partnership intended to review its objectives in 2026. The report highlighted the partnership's role in influencing the North East Combined Authority (NECA) and its strategic collaboration with economic and health agendas. The Ecology Workstream's focus on the development of the County Durham Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) was also to be discussed, with a public consultation due to close on 11 January 2026.

Energy Management and Resources

A report was scheduled to inform the committee about the council's current energy management activities, energy costs over a five-year period, and initiatives to reduce these costs. The council purchases utilities through the North East Procurement Organisation (NEPO) and has a current spend of £14.5 million on gas and electricity. The report detailed various energy cost reduction programmes, including LED street lighting and building conversions, Building Energy Management Systems (BMS), and the use of Delta T in heating systems. Future projects under consideration included further LED rollouts, BMS improvements, the potential for Biochar production, and exploring Power Purchase Agreements for renewable electricity. The report also presented data on the top 20 energy users within the council's portfolio and highlighted case studies of energy efficiency projects.

Quarter Two 2025/2026 Forecast of Revenue and Capital Outturn

The committee was to review the forecast outturn budget for the Neighbourhoods and Culture, Sport & Tourism services for the second quarter of the 2025/26 financial year. The Neighbourhoods service was forecasting an underspend of £4.723 million against a revised budget of £112.477 million. This underspend was largely attributed to the application of Extended Producer Responsibility Grant Funding for waste collection and treatment activities. Conversely, the Culture, Sport & Tourism service was forecasting an overspend of £0.136 million against a revised budget of £17.966 million, primarily due to unrealised savings related to library transformation, rationalisation of the Visit County Durham team, and building decommissioning costs. The report also detailed the revised capital budgets and expenditure for both service areas.

Quarter Two 2025/26 Performance Management Report

This report was scheduled to provide an update on the council's progress towards achieving the strategic ambitions and objectives set out in the Council Plan 2025-30. The report was structured around 'easy to read' dashboards focusing on trends, direction of travel, benchmarking, and performance against targets. Key performance indicators were to be presented across five strategic ambitions: Supercharging Our Economy, Building Better Communities, and A Practical Environmental Stewardship. Under Supercharging Our Economy, the report was expected to highlight attendance figures for cultural events like the BRASS Festival and Seaham Food Festival. For Building Better Communities, performance in areas such as fly-tipping rates, environmental cleanliness, broadband access, and attendance at cultural venues was to be reviewed. The Practical Environmental Stewardship section was to cover waste diversion rates, recycling performance, and air quality monitoring.

Minutes from the County Durham Environment Partnership Board

The committee was also scheduled to review the minutes from the County Durham Environment Partnership Board meeting held on 9 October 2025. This included discussions on research into perceptions and management of green spaces, updates from the Ecological Emergency Action Plan (ECCP) workstreams (Place Health and Communities, Climate Emergency, and Ecological Emergency), and information on the County Durham Environment Awards 2025. The minutes also referenced discussions regarding the Council Plan and the Inclusive Economic Strategy.