About Us
"make County Durham the best place in which to live, work and bring up a family". For residents, businesses and visitors, the area of North East England covered by DCC offers a variety of opportunities in a beautiful location. From its western boundary high in the Pennine Hills, to the limestone cliffs of its North Sea coastline, County Durham, is quite unique! The area is mainly rural with 12 main towns and 240 other small towns and villages, many of which are former colliery villages. The population is almost 500,000 with more than half of the residents living in villages of less than 10,000 people.
County Durham is a two-tier shire authority with six district councils and one borough council within its boundaries. Most villages and rural areas are served by a local parish Council.
A Cabinet, established from among our elected members, takes executive decisions on behalf of Durham County Council. The Corporate Management Team, made up of Corporate Directors, supports elected members in their roles as executive decision makers.
Durham County Council provides a wide range of services, to people living and working within the county, under the general management of the Chief Executive, our services include:
- Community services such as social care and leisure facilities.
- Services aimed at children and young people's, such as education and youth engagement.
- Environmental services such as roads, planning, minerals, waste.
- Travel and transport services.
- Trading standards and business information.
- The County Record Office and various registration services for births, deaths and marriages.
If you need to visit Durham County Council you can see details on the location of County Hall, the council's head quarters, based in Durham City.
The district and borough councils are responsible for a range of other services including:
- Rubbish collection
- Registration of voters and management of elections
- Local planning
- Sports centres
- Licensing
- Pest control
The county, district and borough councils are working together to help you find the information you need, through the Durham Connects website.
The Council's constitution sets out how the Council operates and how decisions are made.
County Durham has rich and varied history and heritage with the Romans and Normans having a lasting impact on how it is today. The County Council was established, along with other County Councils in England and Wales, in 1888. You can find out about our council logo which includes the County Council crest, and is based on the 'Arms of the Bishopric of Durham' reflecting the roots of the organisation.
The Council is one of the larger employers in the County, with over 17,000 employees working in a number of service areas, offering a wide variety of jobs and careers.
As well as its local links the County is twinned with nine communities around the globe including its namesake Durham, North Carolina in the USA.
Find out more facts and figures about County Durham and Durham County Council. You can also get an overview of County Durham and the county council to give you a good introduction to the area.
