News-Planning for strong and resilient communities

We are proposing to replace our current 14 Area Action Partnerships (AAPs) with the 12 Local Networks from April 2025.

The aim of the new model is to enhance the capacity of local communities and individuals to become involved in improving their area.

Helping people to become more involved 

Local Networks will adopt a more strategic and outcomes-focussed approach, developing four-year local action plans to guide investment and identify more opportunities for partnership working.

Alongside this, the existing AAP Forum, made up of 15,000 people, will form a new countywide County Durham Community Network with increased opportunities to engage and help shape local network plans.

The decision to replace the 14 AAPs with 12 Local Networks reflects the updated electoral divisions and ensures that county councillors will only cover one Local Network area, creating more consistent population sizes and ensuring a more equitable allocation of budgets.

It is expected that the new Local Networks will take over from the AAPs on 1 April 2025.

This will allow time to prepare for the council elections in May 2025 and ensure the four-year Local Network plans are aligned to the electoral cycle.

'Putting residents at the heart of each network' 

Cllr Elizabeth Scott, Cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: "The new Local Networks and County Durham Community Network will allow us to strengthen existing partnership working to help identify and respond to any immediate challenges facing our communities.

"The development of four-year action plans for each Local Network will also help us to build strong and resilient communities through a more strategic approach to their work, funding and outcomes. These plans will be informed by community views and a detailed understanding of the demographics of each network, putting residents at the heart of each network and giving them more opportunities to improve their own area."

Cabinet is recommended to agree the new Local Network boundaries and agree the proposed timescales for implementing the Local Networks when it meets next week.