Social Value Ideas for Durham County Council

Solar Farm Application Refused - Planning Decision

Application DH7 ODT for 27MW ground-mounted solar farm at Wagtail Lane, Craghead was REFUSED by Planning Committee on grounds of unacceptable impact on recreational immunity (footpaths, public rights …

“motion is to refuse the application. Uh all those in favor that's five. Thank you. All those against two. So motion carried.”

Hordon Housing Application Approved - Planning Decision

Hybrid planning application for 105 dwellings at Hordon Third/Fifth Streets approved by Planning Committee 7-0 (with 1 abstention by Councillor Heavyside). Committee voted in favour following discussi…

“So the application is approved. Yes...the application is approved and the meeting regarding this application is is finished.”

Cox Housing Application Approved - Planning Decision

Planning application for 99 dwellings at Cox west of Gladston Terrace approved unanimously by Planning Committee (7-0 vote) following officer clarifications on education contributions and highway safe…

“All those in favor of the application, please raise your hand. Unanimous. Application approved.”

Solar Farm Development - Landscape and Cumulative Impact Pressures

Application for 27MW solar farm at Wagtail Lane, Craghead DH7 ODT generating significant local opposition regarding landscape impact, rural character harm, visual effects, and cumulative impacts with …

“The British Horse Society is the UK leading ecquine charity...the solar array will render my essential grazing and riding fields unsafe and unusable. …”

Children's social care overspend

Cabinet acknowledged a material and enduring overspend in children and young people’s services, particularly in children’s social care and the wider SEND system. The pressure is driving additional soc…

“In total, our service group ends underspent by a combined 3,100,000 in year. However, this position includes significant overspend in children and you…”

Children's social care overspend

The quarter four performance report identified persistent demand pressure in children’s social care, including nearly 1,500 referrals in the quarter and a £5 million overspend on placement budgets las…

“Within children's social care, demand remains persistently high with almost 1,500 referrals in quarter four alone. Assessment timeliness, however, rem…”

Children's Social Care Demand and Cost Pressures

Cabinet noted critical and escalating cost pressures in children's social care, particularly for looked-after children placements and home-to-school transport. Growth pressures total £19.4m in 2026-27…

“The financial pressures in children's social care have been extensively covered in the budget reports previously... a significant financial challenge …”

Solar park refused in Green Belt

The cross-boundary solar park was recommended for refusal and the committee supported that recommendation because officers judged the proposal to cause unacceptable landscape harm, harm to residential…

“Speaker 4: Having weighed this harm in the planning balance, it is not considered that the benefits outweigh the harm and that the proposal would be c…”

Great Lumley housing refusal

Despite the officer recommendation, members voted to refuse the 93-dwelling Great Lumley application, with the motion framed around conflicts with policies 6, 10, 21 and 29. The committee expressly de…

“The vote will be for to go with Councillor Bell's recommendation of going against the officer's decision. Can I have all in favors of that? Just”

BESS refused on landscape harm

The committee rejected the battery energy storage system because members concluded the landscape and visual harm outweighed the renewable energy benefits. Safety concerns were discussed extensively, b…

“Speaker 19: Yes. I think after listening to what Neil's got to say and reading paragraph two forty eight, we obviously can't consider that today. So w…”