Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats drawn from the available evidence. These are analytical judgements, not an official council assessment. Where a national comparison is available, lower housing costs, lower reported poor health and higher qualification shares are treated as relative strengths; this does not prove affordability or service quality.
Strengths
strength
Make room for homes people can afford
Average private rent is £650 a month (August 2026) in County Durham council area. This is £809 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 9% in North Lodge to 38.3% in Elvet, Gilesgate & Shincliffe — a gap of 29.3 percentage points.
Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.
What could help →Weaknesses
weakness
Bring support closer to people in poor health
7.5% of people reported bad or very bad health in County Durham council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 1.4% in Neville's Cross to 12.4% in Horden & Dene House — a gap of 11.1 percentage points.
This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.
What could help →Opportunities
opportunity
Tie Aykley Heads infrastructure to viable next stages
Aykley Heads has staged infrastructure funding, while later development proposals still require full business cases.
Proposed response: Make each infrastructure commitment traceable to the development stage it enables.
What could help →opportunity
Plan homes and care around an older population
21.3% of people in County Durham council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 10.3% in Neville's Cross to 30.3% in Barnard Castle — a gap of 20 percentage points.
Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.
What could help →opportunity
Connect local skills to local opportunities
26.7% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in County Durham council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 3.1% in Neville's Cross to 31.2% in Horden & Dene House — a gap of 28 percentage points.
Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.
What could help →opportunity
Target safety work where problems repeat
Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in County Durham council area.
Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.
What could help →opportunity
Turn published plans into visible progress
3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.
A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.
What could help →opportunity
Target support where disadvantages overlap
Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 6.2% in Neville's Cross to 33.8% in Horden & Dene House — a gap of 27.6 percentage points.
These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.
What could help →Threats
threat
Tie cleaner-air measures to results on affected streets
Durham’s cleaner-air plan has been adopted, but the test is what happens to pollution and travel choices afterwards.
Proposed response: Publish delivery progress alongside comparable monitoring results and the costs of each measure.
Evidence 1 · Evidence 2
What could help →Which response goes with each issue?
How the evidence connects to a proposed response and reviewed local work| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
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| Tie Aykley Heads infrastructure to viable next stagesAykley Heads and Durham Innovation District: Development zone endorsed; staged funding approved. See the dated project evidence. | Durham County Council, North East Combined Authority and Durham University | |
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| Tie cleaner-air measures to results on affected streetsMarch 2025 adoption of a 23-action plan. Earlier monitoring in the plan must not be presented as a 2026 reading. | Durham County Council and transport operators | |
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| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £650 a month (August 2026) in County Durham council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 9% in North Lodge to 38.3% in Elvet, Gilesgate & Shincliffe — a gap of 29.3 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 51 of 51 current wards have comparable figures. | The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
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| Plan homes and care around an older population21.3% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 10.3% in Neville's Cross to 30.3% in Barnard Castle — a gap of 20 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 51 of 51 current wards have comparable figures. | Adult social care, local health services, housing providers and transport authorities | |
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| Bring support closer to people in poor health7.5% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 1.4% in Neville's Cross to 12.4% in Horden & Dene House — a gap of 11.1 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 51 of 51 current wards have comparable figures. | Local health services, public health teams, employers and community organisations | |
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| Connect local skills to local opportunities26.7% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 3.1% in Neville's Cross to 31.2% in Horden & Dene House — a gap of 28 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 51 of 51 current wards have comparable figures. | Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority | |
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| Target safety work where problems repeatUse the dated, complete periods shown in Crime and safety; keep anti-social behaviour separate. | The local police force, council community safety team and relevant services | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
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| Target support where disadvantages overlapHouseholds facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 6.2% in Neville's Cross to 33.8% in Horden & Dene House — a gap of 27.6 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 51 of 51 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services | |
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