Changes to Durham County News magazine

We asked you to tell us what you think about changes to the way we share the Durham County News magazine with you.

What's the latest?

Thank you to everyone who took part in our survey about the new arrangements for Durham County News (DCN). We received just under 300 responses, with the majority of people responding online. See the 'What happens next' section below for more information.

Background

The changes to Durham County News have come after mounting pressures on our budget, which were consulted on as part of our Medium Term Financial Plan which was approved by full council in February 2024.

What is happening

The summer 2024 edition, delivered from 6 May 2024, will be the last printed version of the magazine produced and delivered to households this year.

The remaining issues will be available to read as digital magazines online, with a limited number of printed copies delivered to our libraries, leisure centres and other venues across the county for people who cannot access the internet. We will also continue to provide the magazine in alternative formats for blind and visually impaired people.

These arrangements will continue in 2025, with just the summer edition delivered to households as a printed magazine.

We appreciate that many people look forward to receiving their printed copies of Durham County News and hope you will continue to enjoy our news and features online, or at one of our venues. We would like to hear your thoughts and suggestions about the new arrangements.

Have your say

The closing date for comments was 5.00pm on Monday 17 June 2024.

What happens next

Your comments will be used, where appropriate and feasible, to help shape how we share the magazine, news and information in the future.

Many people welcomed the news of the new digital focused approach for DCN and suggested we share the content through quarterly emails. This ties in with our approach of encouraging people to subscribe for email alerts each time the magazine is published online.

Your responses also emphasised the importance of ensuring we continue to have printed copies available for those without access to the internet. We are meeting this need by making a limited number of copies available at our venues across the county, including all of our libraries, leisure centres and cultural venues. We will also continue to provide the magazine in alternative formats for blind and visually impaired people.

Your responses also provided a useful insight into the topics people find most interesting and useful in the magazine, and we will use this information when planning future content.

Make sure you get your copy of Durham County News and receive an email alert when the latest digital issue of DCN is released.

Read the latest issue of DCN.