Introduction to Strategy & Regeneration Division


The Strategy and Regeneration Division comprises five interlinked teams with the common purpose of supporting the corporate management of the council and improving the quality of life for the Residents of Sedgefield Borough.

The Division is led by the Assistant Chief Executive of the Council and is responsible for Corporate Policy, Customer Services, partnerships and Performance, economic development, Regeneration and Capital Programmes.

Assistant Chief Executive
Andy Palmer

Economic Development Team
R Horniman

Corporate Policy & Regeneration Team
G Wood

Training Services
S Meek

Capital Programme
A Megginson

Customer Services 
J Miller

The Division Aim is:

‘to support the effective corporate management of the Council and support the sustainable economic, environmental and social regeneration of the Borough, tackle disadvantage and help improve the life chances of the Borough's resident’

The Division’s Objectives contribute directly to those of the Council’s Corporate Strategy

Corporate Objectives

Strategy and Regeneration Objectives

  1. A Prosperous Borough

 

  1. Improve Business and Employment Opportunities
  2.  Increase skill levels of local people
  3. Reduce Social Exclusion
  1. A Borough with Strong Communities

 

  1. Quality, affordable and sustainable housing
  1. A Healthy Borough  
  1. Improve public health
  1. An Attractive Borough

 

  1. A cleaner, greener, sustainable environment

Services Provided

The Division comprises of five interlinked teams as follows, for further details on the work of these teams please click on the links below:

Customer Base

Internal Customer Base

The Division provides Corporate Policy Support to the Council. The primary internal customers are:-

  • The Chief Executive of the Council
  • The Council’s Corporate Management Team
  • The Council’s Heads of Service
  • The Council’s Cabinet
  • The Portfolio Holders for T4raining and Employment and Social Regeneration and Partnership.
  • The Council’s Area Forums

External Customer Base

The external base of the Divisions services are the residents of Sedgefield Borough with a focus on those living in deprived communities. The Division provides services directly to communities as well as co-ordinating the services of other public, voluntary and private agencies through the Local Strategic Partnership.

Primary Customers

  • Durham County Council
  • Public Agencies e.g. PCT, Police, Fire
  • Government Departments e.g. Government Office, Audit Commission
  • Voluntary sector and local groups e.g. CAVOS, Groundwork, Community Partnerships
  • Residents of deprived communities
  • Borough residents in receipt of services.

Issues facing Sedgefield Borough

Sedgefield Borough is situated in the South of County Durham in the North East of England, between Durham City and Darlington. Covering some 217 km², almost 80% of the 87,200 residents live within the four towns of Newton Aycliffe, Spennymoor, Shildon and Ferryhill, which provide the main focus for employment, shopping and leisure. Newton Aycliffe is a former ‘New Town’ and the others have developed around iron, coal and railway industries. In contrast to these urban centres, the Borough also contains small historic villages (some of Saxon origin) and coalfield communities in the more rural eastern part of the Borough.

The Borough is subject to ‘two-tier’ local government, with Durham County Council (DCC) responsible for some functions and services such as education, social care and transport and Sedgefield Borough Council (SBC) providing local services in response to community need such as environmental services, housing and leisure. In addition, some functions are shared between the County and Borough Council (e.g. waste management) and others are delivered across the region, with multi-agency involvement (e.g. planning, economic development and tourism). The Borough is also fully parished with 13 Town and Parish Councils; amongst these Great Aycliffe and Spennymoor Town Councils represent two of the largest in the country.

The population fell by 4.3% in the period between the 1991 and 2001 Census compared to the North East average of 2.8%, due largely to economic migration. Whilst mid-term population estimates have shown that this trend is now reversing, the departure of young families and longer lives has resulted in an increasingly ageing population within the Borough, with more than twice the number of people aged over 65 than aged under 5. At the 2001 Census the population was 99.3% white, compared to the regional average of 97.6%.

Deprivation can affect anyone across the Borough but tend to cluster in certain neighbourhoods. The Indices of Deprivation (ID) 2004 identifies three of the 56 Super Output Areas (areas of around 1,000 residents constructed to allow statistical comparison) in the Borough as within the 10% most deprived nationally across a range of factors and 18 of the Boroughs 19 wards containing SOAs within the 30% most deprived. The Borough was one of the original 88 areas allocated Government Neighbourhood Renewal Funding (NRF) on the basis of the extent of multiple deprivation in the area, with these allocations maintained up to the current year.

Key factors influencing quality of life and the sustainability of communities within Sedgefield Borough

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