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2.3.1 Options for change
In May 2004 options for regional government were published which, if adopted, would have resulted in the removal of four of the districts from Durham County Council's jurisdiction to form two unitary authorities, and the abolition of the three remaining borough councils to make County Durham a unitary authority in its own right. This did not eventually occur.
On 4 November 2004 a referendum was held on proposals to introduce an elected regional assembly for the North East of England. At the same time as this, the electorate was asked to choose between two options for the organisation of local government below the regional tier. The assembly proposal was rejected overwhelmingly, making the question of unitary authorities in County Durham moot. For further information on the assembly referendum, see Northern England referendums, 2004.
For County Durham the options were:
- a single authority for the existing County Council area
- three authorities for the existing County Council area
3 Settlements
For a complete list of settlements see list of places in County Durham.
This is an list of the main towns in County Durham. The area covered is the entire ceremonial county, hence the inclusion of towns which are no longer administered by Durham County Council.
4 Places of interest
County Durham
