Derwentside Totally Explained

Everything about Derwentside totally explained

Derwentside is a local government district in County Durham, England, named after the River Derwent. It sits to the west of Chester-le-Street and to the north and east of the Wear Valley district. The district takes its name from the River Derwent, which makes up part of the northern border of the district. The area telephone code is 01207.
The council is controlled by the Labour Party, with Derwentside Independents being the largest opposition group, (External Link

) although Labour's majority was reduced from 40 out of 55 seats, to only 29 in the 2007 local elections.
   Its main towns are Consett and Stanley, with the district council offices on Consett's Medomsley Road. The rest of the district is semi-rural, with numerous former pit villages running into one another.
   The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Consett and Stanley urban districts with Lanchester Rural District.
   In the past, Derwentside was famous both for its steel industry and coal mining. Since their closure, the district has struggled with unemployment, although recent European Union funding has provided a boost to local businesses and visitor attractions.
   Derwentside District Council formed a partnership in 2006 with Durham County Council called DurhamNet

, which delivers broadband infrastructure across the northern region to support the development of business, government and communities.
Derwentside District Council has formed a partnership in 2006 with City of Durham Council called InPrint to deliver printing and design services to the two partners and other public sector clients throughout the north east.
On 4 November 2006, Derwentside District Council transferred all of its council housing stock under a Large Scale Voluntary Transfer arrangement to a newly created housing company called Derwentside Homes

On 1 June 2007, Derwentside District Council's leisure services and Derwentside Leisure Ltd. (current operators of sports & swim buildings) are to merge as one organisation and trade under the banner 'leisureworks'. After more than a decade of operating separately, the merger will bring local sports and swim centres together with theatres and arts buildings, and incorporate both sport and arts community and club development under one development remit. It will also help harmonise a service that it's hoped will become more commercially focused and quality led, to enable it to position itself in today's fast growing leisure market.
Derwentside District Council was ranked as a good council by the Audit Commission in the Comprehensive Performance Assessment that it carried out in 2003/04.
Derwentside District Council has been awarded 3 beacon council

awards being for the categories of Social Inclusion Through ICT in 2003/04, Supporting New Businesses in 2005/06 and Positive Youth Engagement in 2006/07.
Several of Derwentside District Council's services hold the ISO 9000 accrediation for quality management. The whole council is accredited with the Investors in People scheme, which includes training for Councillors and the Council's Finance Directorate holds the Charter Mark accreditation.
On 4 February 2008, The Northern Echo revealed that Derwentside District Council has the highest levels of stress related absenteeism in the North East, saying "Its workers had almost three times as many days off with stress than the next highest authorities - Newcastle and Stockton."

Town Twinning

Derwentside district is twinned with Werdohl in Germany.

Abolition

The district will be abolished as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England. The new council, which will be known as County Durham Council, is due to take over in April 2009.

Electorial wards

Annfield Plain
Benfieldside
Blackhill
Burnhope
Burnopfield
Castleside
Catchgate
Consett East
Consett North
Consett South
Cornsay
Craghead and South Stanley
Delves Lane
Dipton
Ebchester and Medomsley
Esh
Havannah
Lanchester
Leadgate
South Moor
Stanley Hall
Tanfield

Further Information

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