Derwentside was, from 1974 to 2009, a
local government district
The districts of England (also known as local authority districts or local government districts to distinguish from unofficial city districts) are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. As the st ...
in
County Durham
County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly â€About North East E ...
, England.
The district took its name from the
River Derwent, which made up part of the northern border of the district. Its main towns were
Consett
Consett is a town in County Durham, England, about south-west of Newcastle upon Tyne. It had a population of 27,394 in 2001 and an estimate of 25,812 in 2019.
History
Consett sits high on the edge of the Pennines. Its' name originates in the ...
and
Stanley
Stanley may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Film and television
* ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film
* ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy
* ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short
* ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
, with the district council offices on Consett's Medomsley Road. The rest of the district was semi-rural, with numerous former pit villages running into one another.
Formation
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...
, which reorganised local administration throughout England and Wales. The district was a merger of three abolished districts:
[
*]Consett
Consett is a town in County Durham, England, about south-west of Newcastle upon Tyne. It had a population of 27,394 in 2001 and an estimate of 25,812 in 2019.
History
Consett sits high on the edge of the Pennines. Its' name originates in the ...
Urban District
*Stanley
Stanley may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Film and television
* ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film
* ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy
* ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short
* ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
Urban District
* Lanchester Rural District
Derwentside was one of eight districts into which County Durham was divided in 1974. It was bounded on the east by Chester-le-Street District, to the south-east by the City of Durham and to the south and west by Wear Valley
Wear Valley was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district in County Durham, England. Its council and district capital was Crook.
The district covered much of the Weardale area. In the west it was parished and rural, whereas in the eas ...
District. To the north the district was bounded by the Metropolitan County of Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear () is a metropolitan county in North East England, situated around the mouths of the rivers Tyne and Wear. It was created in 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972, along with five metropolitan boroughs of Gateshead, Newcastl ...
and to the north west by Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land on ...
.[
]
Economy
Derwentside's economy was traditionally based on the steel industry and coal mining. With the loss of these industries, the district struggled with unemployment, although European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
funding provided a boost to local businesses and visitor attractions.
Elections and political control
The first election to Derwentside District Council took place on 7 June 1973, with the 55 councillors elected forming a shadow authority until 1 April 1974. Elections of the whole council were next held in 1976, and every four years thereafter. Throughout the council's existence it was controlled by the Labour Party, initially with very large majorities. The main opposition group were the Derwentside Independents
Derwentside Independents is a localist political party in County Durham, England. It was established in 2001 to contest elections to Derwentside District Council, later contesting elections to Durham County Council following the establishment ...
. At the final election prior to abolition, held in 2007, Labour's majority was reduced to only three seats.
Coat of arms
Derwentside District Council were granted armorial bearings
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its wh ...
by the College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...
in 1975. The letters patent
Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...
were dated 8 May 1975, and the arms were blazoned as follows:[''The Armorial Bearings of the Derwentside District Council'', information sheet published by the council, undated.]
Barry wavy of eight Argent and Azure an Eagle displayed wings inverted Or gorged with a Mural Crown proper pendent therefrom by a ring a Cross of St. Cuthbert and charged on each wing with a like Cross Azure.
Crest: On a wreath of the colours In front of Flames a Miner's Pick head upwards in pale and two Swords points upwards in Saltire proper hilts and pomels Or pendent from the Pick by a Chain Argent a Roman Shield Sable charged with a Thunderbolt and on a Bordure Or ten Pellets.
Badge:A Fountain charged with an Eagle as in the Arms.
The shield had a field of silver and blue waves, representing the Rivers Derwent, Deerness and Browney
Browney is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated to the south-west of Durham and adjoins Meadowfield. It is part of the parish of Brandon and Byshottles
Brandon and Byshottles is a civil parish and electoral ward in County Durha ...
. On top of this was placed a Roman eagle, for the Roman settlements at Ebchester
Ebchester is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated to the north of Consett and to the south east of Whittonstall.
The village sits at the intersection of the A694, which runs from Consett to Swalwell, and the B6309, which connects ...
, Lanchester, Dere Street
Dere Street or Deere Street is a modern designation of a Roman road which ran north from Eboracum (York), crossing the Stanegate at Corbridge (Hadrian's Wall was crossed at the Portgate, just to the north) and continuing beyond into what is n ...
and Stanley. About the eagle's neck was a mural crown
A mural crown ( la, corona muralis) is a crown or headpiece representing city walls, towers, or fortresses. In classical antiquity, it was an emblem of tutelary deities who watched over a city, and among the Romans a military decoration. Later th ...
representing a city wall, and thus local government. On the eagle's breast and wings were three crosses of Saint Cuthbert
Cuthbert of Lindisfarne ( – 20 March 687) was an Anglo-Saxon saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of ...
, patron saint of Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
* Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
: these suggested the union of three County Durham councils in one.[
Upon a ]helm
Helm may refer to:
Common meanings
* a ship's steering mechanism; see tiller and ship's wheel
* another term for helmsman
* an archaic term for a helmet, used as armor
Arts and entertainment
* Matt Helm, a character created by Donald Hamilton
* ...
with torse
In heraldry, a torse or wreath is a twisted roll of fabric laid about the top of the helmet and the base of the crest. It has the dual purpose of masking the join between helm and crest, and of holding the mantling in place.
The torse is some ...
and mantling
In heraldry, mantling or "lambrequin" (its name in French) is drapery tied to the Helmet (heraldry), helmet above the shield. In paper heraldry it is a depiction of the protective cloth covering (often of linen) worn by knights from their helmet ...
was the crest. The swords and flames stood for the steel industry and the pickaxe for coalmining. Hanging from the axe was a Roman shield bearing a thunderbolt
A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hell ...
for the broadcasting station at Pontop Pike
The Pontop Pike transmitting station is a facility for telecommunications and broadcasting situated on a 312-metre (1,024-ft) high hill of the same name between Stanley and Consett, County Durham, near the village of Dipton, England. The mas ...
.[
The ]Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
motto
A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...
was ''Donec Defluet Amnis'' or ''Until the river ceases to flow''. It was adapted from the writings of the Roman poet Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...
.[
]
Town Twinning
Derwentside district was twinned with Werdohl
Werdohl () is a town in the district Märkischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Geography
Werdohl is located in the hills of the Sauerland, at a double meander of the river Lenne and its confluent, the Verse. The highest elevation is ...
in Germany.
Abolition
The district was abolished as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England
Structural changes to local government in England were effected on 1 April 2009, whereby a number of new unitary authorities were created in parts of the country which previously operated a "two-tier" system of counties and districts. In five s ...
. On 1 April 2009 the two-tier system of administration in County Durham was replaced, with a unitary Durham County Council replacing both the existing county council and district councils.
In 2009, Durham County Council unveiled plans for the regeneration of Consett
Consett is a town in County Durham, England, about south-west of Newcastle upon Tyne. It had a population of 27,394 in 2001 and an estimate of 25,812 in 2019.
History
Consett sits high on the edge of the Pennines. Its' name originates in the ...
. These plans involved the demolition of the former headquarters of Derwentside District Council at Consett Civic Centre and the relocation of Consett AFC
Consett Association Football Club is a football club based in Consett in County Durham, England. They are currently members of the and play at Belle View Stadium.
History
The club was established on 1 July 1899 as Consett Celtic.[< ...]
to Crookhall. The site was to be redeveloped and the new Consett Academy built there.
On 5 July 2010, the Secretary of State for Education
The secretary of state for education, also referred to as the education secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the work of the Department for Education. ...
announced plans for the overhaul of England's school building programme. The announcement stated that it would be "irresponsible to carry on regardless with an inflexible, and needlessly complex programme." Many building programmes that had not commenced were cancelled but the plans for Consett Academy and an academy at nearby Stanley
Stanley may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Film and television
* ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film
* ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy
* ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short
* ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
were "for discussion."
Local opponents to the building of an academy on the Belle Vue site in Consett
Consett is a town in County Durham, England, about south-west of Newcastle upon Tyne. It had a population of 27,394 in 2001 and an estimate of 25,812 in 2019.
History
Consett sits high on the edge of the Pennines. Its' name originates in the ...
launched an application to have the land registered as a village green
A village green is a commons, common open area within a village or other settlement. Historically, a village green was common pasture, grassland with a pond for watering cattle and other stock, often at the edge of a rural settlement, used for ...
. This would prohibit the development of the land. A public inquiry was held at Consett Civic Centre during the week commencing 12 July 2010.
Electoral wards
References
External links
Derwentside District Council
Derwentside Partnership
Discussion Forum for People of Derwentside
{{Former non-metropolitan districts of England
English districts abolished in 2009
Former non-metropolitan districts of Durham