History of local government districts in Durham

They had been successive district administration in the County of Durham. The ancient county was formerly structured around the Bishop of Durham with ancient wards and boroughs.

1835–1974[edit]

The county palatine was restructured to a standard county system of the time through successive Durham County Palatine Acts 1836 to 1889. Municipal boroughs were established under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. The administrative county and county boroughs were introduced in 1889 by the Local Government Act 1888. Urban and rural districts were created under the Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 73). The structure was replaced under the Local Government Act 1972 in 1974.

Boroughs[edit]

A borough could either have or not have a rural controlled from the same set of municipal buildings. A municipal borough’s area was part-governed by the administrative county; a municipal borough could become a county borough which was only ceremonially linked with the county.

Borough Type From Until Notes
Darlington[1] Municipal 1867 1915
County 1915 1974 Replaced by the Borough of Darlington
Durham[2] Municipal 1835 1974 Replaced by City of Durham, since 2009 the Unitary Authority of County Durham
Gateshead[3] Municipal 1835 1888
County 1888 1974 Replaced by the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead
West Hartlepool[4] Municipal 1887 1902
County 1902 1967 Boroughs merged
Hartlepool[5] Municipal 1850 1967
County 1967 1974 Replaced by the Borough of Hartlepool
Jarrow[6] Municipal 1875 1974 Replaced by the Borough of South Tyneside
South Shields[7] Municipal 1850 1889
County 1889 1974 Replaced by the Borough of South Tyneside
Stockton-on-Tees[8] Municipal 1835 1968 Merged into the County Borough of Teesside
Sunderland[9] Municipal 1835 1888
County 1888 1974 replaced by the Borough of Sunderland

Districts[edit]

A rural and or urban district could be controlled from a single set of municipal buildings:[10]

District Type From Until
Annfield Plain Urban 1896 1937
Auckland Rural 1894 1937
Barnard Castle Rural 1894 1974
Barnard Castle Urban 1894 1974
Benfieldside Urban 1894 1937
Billingham Urban 1923 1968
Bishop Auckland Urban 1894 1974
Blaydon Urban 1894 1974
Boldon Urban 1936 1974
Brandon and Byshottles Urban 1894 1974
Chester-le-Street Rural 1894 1974
Chester-le-Street Urban 1909 1974
Consett Urban 1894 1974
Crook Urban 1898 1937
Crook and Willington Urban 1937 1974
Darlington Rural 1894 1974
Durham Rural 1894 1974
Easington Rural 1894 1974
Felling Urban 1894 1974
Hartlepool Rural 1894 1937
Hebburn Urban 1894 1974
Hetton Urban 1895 1974
Houghton-le-Spring Rural 1894 1937
Houghton-le-Spring Urban 1894 1974
Lanchester Rural 1894 1974
Leadgate Urban 1894 1937
Ryton Urban 1894 1974
Seaham Urban 1937 1974
Seaham Harbour Urban 1894 1937
Sedgefield Rural 1894 1974
Shildon Urban 1894 1974
South Shields Rural 1894 1936
Southwick on Wear Urban 1894 1928
Spennymoor Urban 1894 1974
Stanhope Urban 1894 1937
Stanley Urban 1894 1974
Stockton Rural 1894 1974
Sunderland Rural 1894 1967
Tanfield Urban 1895 1937
Tow Law Urban 1894 1974
Washington Urban 1922 1974
Weardale Rural 1894 1974
Whickham Urban 1894 1974
Willington Urban 1894 1937

1974-2009[edit]

Under the Local Government Act 1972, the county's ceremonial, district and borough boundaries were moved to align to the newly created non-metropolitan county of Durham. The ceremonial county had the boroughs Darlington (borough) of Sedgefield and the City of Durham as well as five districts:

unitary authority under the Local Government Act 1992. Darlington borough became a unitary authority in 1995. The county of Cleveland disbanded in 1996, Boroughs of Hartlepool and of Stockton-on-Tees became unitary authorities in the ceremonial county. The Borough of Stockton-on Tees is split between the ceremonial counties of Durham and North Yorkshire.

The non-metropolitan county was subject to 2009 reforms. The council county, districts and boroughs were merged into a unitary authority. The ceremonial county now covers four unitary authorities:

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Darlington CB/MB". Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Durham MB". Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Gateshead MB/CB". Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  4. ^ "West Hartlepool MB/CB". Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Hartlepool CB/MB". Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Jarrow MB". Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  7. ^ "South Shields CB/MB". Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Stockton-on-Tees MB". Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Sunderland CB/MB". Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  10. ^ "County Durham AdmC". Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Durham council leader explains the benefits of a becoming large unitary authority". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
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