The Borough of Darlington is a unitary authority area with borough status in County Durham, England. Since 1997 Darlington Borough Council has been a unitary authority; it is independent from Durham County Council. It is named after its largest settlement, the town of Darlington, where the council is based. The borough also includes a rural area surrounding the town which contains several villages. The population of the borough at the 2021 census was 107,800,[5] of which over 86% (93,015) lived in the built-up area of Darlington itself.[6]
Since 2016 the council has been a member of the Tees Valley Combined Authority, which has been led by the directly elected Tees Valley Mayor since 2017.
The neighbouring districts are the County Durham district to the north and west, Stockton-on-Tees to the east and North Yorkshire to the south, the River Tees forming the border for the latter.
History
editThe town of Darlington was made a municipal borough in 1867. In 1915 it was elevated to become a county borough, taking over county-level functions from Durham County Council.[7]
The borough was reformed and enlarged on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It absorbed nearly all of the surrounding Darlington Rural District, with the exception of the parish of Great Aycliffe (which covers the town of Newton Aycliffe) which went to Sedgefield district.[8][9] The enlarged borough was also reconstituted as a non-metropolitan district as part of the 1974 reforms, with Durham County Council once more providing county-level services to the town.[10]
The council was made a unitary authority on 1 April 1997, regaining its independence from the county council. The way this change was implemented was to create a new non-metropolitan county of Darlington covering the same area as the existing borough, but with no separate county council; instead the existing borough council took on county functions, making it a unitary authority.[11] The borough remains part of County Durham for ceremonial purposes, with whom it continues to share certain local services, such as the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service and Durham Constabulary.[12]
Since 2016 the council has been a member of the Tees Valley Combined Authority along with Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees. Unlike Darlington, the other four districts in the combined authority had all been part of the county of Cleveland between 1974 and 1996.[13]
Governance
editDarlington Borough Council | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | Leader & Cabinet |
| Leadership | |
Ian Williams since 2021[15] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 50 councillors |
Political groups |
|
Joint committees | Tees Valley Combined Authority |
| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
| Town Hall, Feethams, Darlington, DL1 5QT | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Darlington Borough Council provides both county-level and district-level services. Parts of the borough are covered by civil parishes, which form a second tier of local government for their areas.[16]
Since 2016 the council has been a member of the Tees Valley Combined Authority.[17]
Political control
editThe council has been under no overall control since 2019. Following the 2023 election a coalition of Labour and the Liberal Democrats formed to run the council, led by Labour councillor Steve Harker.[18]
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[19]
Lower-tier non-metropolitan district
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 1974–1976 | |
| Conservative | 1976–1979 | |
| Labour | 1979–1987 | |
| No overall control | 1987–1991 | |
| Labour | 1991–1997 | |
Unitary authority
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 1997–2019 | |
| No overall control | 2019–present | |
Leadership
editThe role of mayor is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. An attempt to secure a referendum on having a directly elected mayor in 2006 was unsuccessful.[20]
The leaders since 1991 have been:[21]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Williams[22] | Labour | 1991 | 8 May 2011 | |
| Bill Dixon | Labour | 19 May 2011 | 19 Jul 2018 | |
| Steve Harker | Labour | 19 Jul 2018 | 23 May 2019 | |
| Heather Scott | Conservative | 23 May 2019 | 19 May 2022 | |
| Jonathan Dulston | Conservative | 19 May 2022 | 25 May 2023 | |
| Steve Harker | Labour | 25 May 2023 | ||
Composition
editFollowing the 2023 election and subsequent changes of allegiance up to May 2024, the composition of the council was:[23][24][25]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 24 | |
| Conservative | 13 | |
| Green | 7 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 3 | |
| Independent | 3 | |
| Total | 50 | |
The next election is due in 2027.
Elections
editSince the last boundary changes in 2015 the council has comprised 50 councillors, representing 20 wards, each of which elects two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[26]
Premises
editThe council is based at Darlington Town Hall on Feethams in the centre of Darlington.[27] The building was purpose-built for the old county borough council and was completed in 1970.[28]
Settlements
editAs well as Darlington itself the borough includes the surrounding villages of:
- Archdeacon Newton
- Barmpton
- Beaumont Hill
- Bishopton
- Blackwell
- Brafferton
- Coatham Mundeville
- Denton
- Great Burdon
- Great Stainton
- Heighington
- High Coniscliffe
- Houghton
- Hurworth
- Killerby
- Little Stainton
- Low Dinsdale
- Near airport
- Piercebridge
- Redworth
- Sadberge
- Summerhouse
- Walworth
It is home to Teesside International Airport (previously known as Durham Tees Valley Airport).
Demographics
editFreedom of the Borough
editThe following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Darlington.
Individuals
edit- John Williams: 24 November 2011.
- Alasdair MacConachie: 24 November 2011.[29]
Military Units
edit- The Light Infantry: 1996.
- The Rifles: 17 September 2010.[30]
References
edit- ^ "Elected Members". Darlington Borough Council. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Darlington Local Authority (E06000005)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "Population and household estimates, England and Wales: Census 2021". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ "Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021". Census 2021. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ "Darlington Municipal Borough / County Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 3 March 2024
- ^ "The New Parishes Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/688, retrieved 3 March 2024
- ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 3 March 2024
- ^ "The Durham (Borough of Darlington) (Structural Change) Order 1995", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1995/1772, retrieved 3 March 2024
- ^ "Lieutenancies Act 1997". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ^ "The Tees Valley Combined Authority Order 2016". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. SI 2016/449. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ Edgar, Bill (25 May 2024). "Darlington Mayor: Bob Donoghue elected as town's 2024 mayor". Darlington and Stockton Times. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Minting, Stuart (12 January 2021). "Top Darlington council jobs to be reshuffled". Northern Echo. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ "The Tees Valley Combined Authority Order 2016". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. SI 2016/449. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ Edgar, Bill (26 May 2023). "Cllr Steve Harker elected as new Darlington Council Leader". Northern Echo. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
- ^ "Pro-mayor group halfway to securing a referendum". The Northern Echo. 29 August 2006. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
- ^ "Council minutes". Darlington Borough Council. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ "Ex-Darlington Council leader John Williams dies at 65". BBC News. 12 July 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
- ^ Edgar, Bill (4 October 2023). "Darlington Tory councillor Yvonne Renton becomes Independent". Northern Echo. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ Edgar, Bill (30 May 2024). "Darlington councillor Colin Pease quits Conservative Party". Northern Echo. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "The Darlington (Electoral Changes) Order 2014", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2014/3338, retrieved 3 March 2024
- ^ "Opening times". Darlington Borough Council. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ Lloyd, Chris (2017). Darlington in 50 Buildings. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1445666822.
- ^ "Darlington Borough Council" (PDF). www.darlington.gov.uk.
- ^ Live, Teesside (17 September 2010). "Thousands of people flocked to Darlington to honouring our heroes".
External links
edit- Darlington Borough Council
- Darlington Tourist Information
- Darlington Railway Centre & Museum
- Darlington Arts Centre & Civic Theatre