A new parish council is to be created for Durham City after councillors voted in favour of the proposal.
Durham County Council members yesterday agreed to the creation of the City of Durham Parish Council, which will have 15 elected members representing three parishes.
The decision was taken following a public consultation earlier this year after a petition from Roberta Blackman-Woods MP called for people in the central unparished areas of the city to be consulted on the formation of a new town council.
Carried out by the county council, the petition saw 66% of respondents back the idea.
The council asked 11,700 residents and stakeholders for their opinions on two options: creating a City of Durham Parish Council or maintaining existing arrangements.
A total of 2,819 ballot papers were returned, of which, 1,856 were in favour of a new council and 958 were opposed to the proposal.
The new authority will become a recognised legal entity on 1 April, 2018, with inaugural elections taking place in May 2018.
For more on parish councils read our feature, 'The changing face of parish councils.'
