The Environment and Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee of County Durham Council met on Monday 20 July 2026. The committee's agenda included reviewing the council's performance for the fourth quarter of the 2025/26 financial year and discussing the refresh of its work programme for the upcoming year. The committee was also scheduled to receive minutes from previous meetings.

Quarter 4 2025/26 Performance Management Report

The committee was scheduled to consider the Quarter 4 2025/26 Performance Management Report. This report provides an update on progress towards the strategic ambitions and objectives set out in the Council Plan 2025-2030. The report, compiled by the Chief Executive, John Hewitt, details performance data available as of 31 March 2026, alongside contextual information on activities during the fourth quarter of the financial year (January to March).

The report highlights key performance messages across the council's five strategic ambitions:

• Supercharging Our Economy: An investment of £1 million into festivals and events during 2025/26 generated an economic impact of £7.6 million, representing a return on investment of 735%. Specific events contributing to this included Lumiere, BRASS, the Durham Book Festival, and various food festivals.
• Building Better Communities: Reports of fly-tipping remained low at 9.6 per 1,000 population. Environmental cleanliness was reported as high, with 52 long-term empty properties brought back into use in the latest quarter. Reports of anti-social behaviour were at their lowest recorded level for two years. The target to repair 90% of highway defects within set timescales was met for three out of four categories. Furthermore, almost 90% of properties across the county have access to gigabit-capable broadband, with full fibre availability at 89%, exceeding the UK national average.
• A Practical Environmental Stewardship: The council diverted 97.5% of municipal waste from landfill, exceeding both the target of 90% and the performance from the previous year (95.6%). While the recycling, re-use, or composting rate and the contamination rate had slightly deteriorated, improvements are anticipated with the introduction of separate weekly food waste collections and glass collections in blue-lidded bins during 2026, in line with government reforms.

The report also detailed performance indicators related to anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping, highway maintenance, road safety, public transport, housing delivery, selective licensing schemes, leisure centre visits, and cultural venue attendance.

Refresh of the Environment and Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2026/27

The committee was scheduled to review a proposed draft work programme for 2026/27, prepared by Helen Bradley, Director of Legal and Democratic Services. This programme is designed to align with the objectives and outcomes of the Council Plan 2025-2030 and the County Durham Vision 2035, which is structured around three strategic ambitions: 'more and better jobs', 'long and independent lives', and 'connected communities'.

The draft work programme is intended to be flexible to accommodate emerging issues. Key areas for consideration in the 2026/27 programme include:

• Progress on the draft Environment Strategy.
• Biodiversity Net Gain progress and the Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
• Energy Generation and Storage approaches.
• Schemes to address Fuel Poverty.
• The rollout of the Food Waste collection scheme and general waste services.
• Transport plans, strategies, and funding at regional and local levels.
• Active travel initiatives.
• Energy management across the council's estate.
• The management of DCC leisure centres.
• Maximising the offer of DCC parks, cultural venues, and the Heritage Coast.
• Ongoing performance and budget monitoring.

Minutes from Previous Meetings

The committee was scheduled to review the minutes from:

• A Special joint meeting of the Economy and Enterprise Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Environment and Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 9 April 2026. This meeting included a discussion on County Durham's Visitor Economy and Place Brand, where detailed presentations were given on tourism services, visitor numbers, accommodation needs, and marketing strategies. Various concerns were raised by councillors regarding the representation of attractions, the need for balanced development across the county, and the effectiveness of current promotional efforts.
• A meeting of the Environment and Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 7 May 2026. This meeting focused on an update from Flood Risk Management Authorities (FRMAs), including Durham County Council, the Environment Agency, and Northumbrian Water Limited. Discussions covered current and future flood mitigation schemes, the role of Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs), sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), and the impact of new developments on flood risk. The committee also considered a report on the Quarter 3 2025/26 forecast of revenue and capital outturn, including a shortfall in car parking income at Nose's Point and Crimdon, and an underspend within Environmental Services attributed to the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) grant.
• Minutes from the County Durham Environment Partnership Board meeting held on 11 June 2026. This meeting included updates on work streams such as Place Health and Communities, and Energy. Discussions covered the development of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS), the future of the Ecology Workstream, and the upcoming Environment Awards 2026.

The information presented in this article is based solely on the documents provided for the meeting and does not reflect any discussions or decisions that may have taken place.