The Economy and Enterprise Overview and Scrutiny Committee were scheduled to meet to discuss the Regeneration, Economy and Growth service grouping, the 2024/25 performance management report, and to refresh the committee's work programme for 2025/26. The committee was also scheduled to note the minutes from the County Durham Economic Partnership Board meeting held on 10 February 2025, and the minutes of previous meetings of the Economy and Enterprise Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Introduction to the Regeneration, Economy and Growth Service Grouping

The committee was scheduled to receive an introduction to the Regeneration, Economy and Growth (REG) service grouping from Tony Hanson, Corporate Director, Regeneration, Economy and Growth. The report pack states that the REG service area is responsible for delivering a range of services, statutory functions and strategies across the county, with approximately 1,250 staff working throughout the county across three service areas: Inclusive Growth and Partnerships, Planning and Housing, and Culture, Sport, and Tourism. The report pack notes that County Durham represents around one quarter of the population and business base of the North East Combined Authority area, and its economy and key sectors are helping to drive local and regional growth. The report pack also states that the REG Service is supporting economic growth and new opportunities across the county including enabling development, business properties to rent, improvements to town centres, new homes, and new visitor attractions. The report pack notes that there are some positive signs of productivity, sector, and visitor growth but the county has long-standing issues with poor health and deprivation for which it needs regional and government support.

The report pack lists five key strategies that align with the Council Plan and County Durham Vision and other national and regional strategies, and corporate duties and plans:

• County Durham Plan
• Housing Strategy
• Homelessness Strategy
• Inclusive Economic Strategy, delivery plan and Strategic Place Plans
• Durham Destination Management Plan

The report pack also provides a summary of the activities and priorities of each of the three functional service areas within the REG Service Grouping: Inclusive Growth and Partnerships, Planning and Housing, and Culture, Sport and Tourism.

Inclusive Growth and Partnerships Service

The report pack states that the Inclusive Growth and Partnerships service area delivers economic development and regeneration interventions, projects and programmes which contribute to many of the council's priorities. It notes that the council's Towns and Villages Programme has provided an initial £25 million of council investment to deliver a range of improvements to places of all sizes across the county.

The report pack also notes that the council plays a key role in enabling developments and often needs to invest in site infrastructure and occasionally must directly enable or invest in new developments to make them attractive to private sector investors and developers. It says that the county has invested up front in infrastructure on key sites, drawing on regional and national funding where possible, to create a portfolio of employment land available to investors and developers across the county.

The report pack mentions several strategic employment sites:

• North East Technology Park (NETPark)
• Integra 61
• Jade Business Park
• Forrest Park
• Aykley Heads

The report pack states that the IGP Service provides a range of support services to businesses, mainly thorough Business Durham, but also with partners in the County Durham Economic Partnership and through other teams in the REG service.

Planning and Housing Service

The report pack states that the Planning and Housing service is responsible for the County Durham Plan, determining planning applications and enforcing decisions, building safety, housing standards, housing allocations, and homelessness prevention.

The report pack notes that the Government published an updated National Planning Policy Framework¹ (NPPF) in December 2024, and that the revised standard method for calculating housing need results in an uplifted requirement for County Durham to 2,011 dwellings per annum. It says that in response, the council's Cabinet approved the formal commencement of a review of the County Durham Plan in March 2025.

The report pack also notes that in 2015, Durham County Council transferred 18,000 homes to County Durham Housing Group, now believe housing, but in recent years, it has established a new council house delivery programme with a target to build 500 new council owned properties by 2029.

The report pack mentions that a selective licensing scheme is in operation until March 2027, requiring landlords in a designated area to be licensed to legally privately rent a home. It says that the scheme covers a third of the council by area and 15,200 licences have been issued with a further 1,200 applications in progress, and that there are 700 investigations of non-compliance ongoing.

Culture, Sport and Tourism Service

The report pack states that Visit County Durham (VCD) is the destination management organisation for County Durham and one of a portfolio of nationally supported, strategic, and high-performing accredited Local Visitor Economy Partnerships.

The report pack notes that the tourism sector in the county and visitor numbers to the county were hit hard by the Covid pandemic, but that the latest tourism figures show a major boost for Durham's visitor economy as the county sees overall visitor expenditure rise to a record £1.38billion.

The report pack also mentions The Story culture, heritage and registration venue at Mount Oswald House, which brings together five different collections of historic records, documents and objects.

Quarter Three 2024/25 Performance Management Report

The committee was scheduled to discuss the Quarter Three 2024/25 Performance Management Report. The report pack states that the report contains the most recent performance data available on 31 December 2024, alongside contextual information of activity and events taking place in the third quarter of the 2024/25 financial year (October to December).

The report pack notes that the government has published the provisional local government finance settlement for England for 2025/26, and that the council's financial position remains very challenging despite the additional government grant funding being provided next year.

The report pack also provides an overview of performance in relation to the council's key outcomes:

• Our Economy The report pack states that the economy has largely recovered from Covid-19, and in some parts of the economy, such as employment levels and productivity, pre-Covid levels of performance have been exceeded. It notes that the number of available jobs across the county has steadily increased in recent years to almost 190,000, an all-time high, and that job growth has increased at a faster rate than the North East and England. The report pack also states that the council continues to exceed targets for securing investment for companies and supporting businesses, and that more people are visiting cultural venues and leisure centres, borrowing from libraries, and are members of gyms.
• Our Environment The report pack states that the council is diverting a larger proportion of waste from landfill, and is building, with regional partners, a new 'energy recovery from waste' facility which will meet the future needs of the county. It also notes that the contamination rate has steadily declined, and that 27 of the 28 sites within the Durham City Air Quality Management Area are better than the threshold for NO2 levels.
• Our People The report pack states that statutory referral demand for children's social care has increased significantly compared to last year, but that improved practice across statutory children's social care has led to a consistently low re-referral rate and despite higher demand performance remains strong. It also notes that referrals into adult social care and Care Act assessments remain stable and the percentage of service users receiving an annual review has now met the compliance target, and that performance against homelessness outcomes is improving.
• Our Communities The report pack states that although domestic abuse incidents reported to the police have steadily decreased in recent years, more victims are being referred to support services. It also notes that of the private sector rented properties covered under the selective licensing scheme, 59% are fully licensed licences in progress, exempt or have legal proceedings instigated, that reports of fly-tipping remain low, environmental cleanliness is high, and more long-term properties are being brought back into use.
• Our Council The report pack states that the council continues to provide significant financial support to its most vulnerable residents, with almost 53,000 low income households (38% of pension age) benefiting from the Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme. It also notes that the processing times of housing benefit and council tax reduction requests have improved further, that satisfaction with overall service delivery remains high and the council is receiving fewer complaints.

Refresh of the Work Programme for Economy and Enterprise Overview and Scrutiny Committee 2025/26

The committee was scheduled to discuss a refresh of its work programme for 2025/26. The report pack states that the proposed work programme has been framed around the shared County Durham Vision 2035 based on the three strategic ambitions of 'more and better jobs', 'long and independent lives' and 'connected communities'.

The report pack lists the areas of overview and monitoring activity undertaken by the committee during 2024/25:

• Strategic Place Plans for County Durham
• Houses in Multiple Occupation
• Council House Delivery Programme
• Selective Licensing Scheme
• Supported Housing Improvement Programme
• Social Housing Allocations Policy
• Strategic Employment Sites in the county
• UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the delivery of programmes in County Durham
• Inclusive Economic Strategy Delivery Plan
• Major Programmes/Projects REG Service Grouping
• Draft County Durham Housing Strategy
• County Durham Skills Development

The report pack also lists the informal information sessions that the committee has held:

• New Place Brand for County Durham
• Management of Durham County Council Land

The report pack notes that the committee has also undertaken visits to New College Durham and East Durham College.

The report pack states that the committee is asked to consider areas for inclusion in the work programme for 2025/26 in light of the current Council Plan and the Vision for County Durham 2035.

County Durham Economic Partnership Board Minutes

The committee was scheduled to note the minutes of the County Durham Economic Partnership Board meeting held on 10 February 2025.

The minutes include a business update from representatives of the Federation of Small Business, the Engineering & Manufacturing Network, and the Durham Business Group, and an update on the Inclusive Economic Strategy & Delivery Plan.

Sarah Slaven, Managing Director Business Durham, shared a presentation with the Board on County Durham Future Opportunities.