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The next Town Council meeting will be held at No.42, Market Place, Bishop Auckland, DL14 7PB on Tuesday, 11th January 2022 at 6:00pm. 

A meeting of the Planning Committee will immediately follow the meeting of the Town Council, starting no earlier than 7:00pm.

Members of the Public and Press are welcome to attend.  However, in light of coronavirus concerns, it is recommended that attendance is registered with the Town Clerk prior to attending to ensure that the meeting space is large enough to accommodate everyone safely.

To register attendance, please call 01388 207110 or email council@bishopauckland-tc.gov.uk by noon on Monday 10^th January 2022.

The Chairman advises members of the Council and the public that the meeting or part of the meeting may be recorded by audio or by video.

A copy of the agendas and reports are now available to download on the Agendas and Minutes Page.

The latest list of planning applications have been posted on the Consultations page.

The latest list of planning applications have been posted on the Consultations page.

Mayor of Bishop Auckland, Councillor Katie Eliot reflects on the year 2021 and shares her Christmas message with the Town.

It goes without saying that 2021 been challenging for everyone, as the coronavirus pandemic has continued to impact upon everyone’s daily lives. My sympathy goes to the families who have lost loved ones or endured long periods of separation.

Since becoming Mayor, I have been I have been truly amazed at the kindness and generosity of those living and working within our town. It was lovely to join with the Lord Lieutenant Mrs Sue Snowdon to commemorate the first NHS and Front Line Workers Day in July, where we were able to give thanks to those who have worked tirelessly on the frontline as we fight this pandemic. The tenacity and courage which they show was one of the reason which I have selected the NHS County Durham and Darlington – specifically Bishop Auckland Hospital to as my chosen charity for the year.

Whilst 2021 started with a continued lockdown, it has been nice for some ‘normality’ to resume and our businesses to reopen after adapting to the changing landscape. The return of the Food Festival brought people back into town, and the opening of the Spanish Art Gallery has brought another great building back to life. The refurbished Town Hall has brought a range of activities to the community, including the excellent ‘Through Soldiers Eyes’ exhibition which brought together an exceptional showcase of art work from veterans from our town and county.

We had planned a magical Christmas weekend in partnership with the Bridge Creative, Baccanalia and The Auckland Project and we were so disappointed that parts of the programme were cancelled due to Storm Arwen. Whilst faced with some disappointment, Bishop Auckland weathered the storm fairly well compared to other areas. We did face areas of damage, including the loss of historic trees in the Deer Park and some homes were without power for a significant period of time. However we were very fortunate that a full weekend programme enabled 800 children to visit Santa that weekend, and the dry weather on the Sunday enabled the Christmas market and street entertainment to resume bringing some much needed merriment to town.

As the year draws to a close, I remain hopeful for 2022. We have lots to look forward to including the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations developments at Weardale Railway, the opening of the Castle and Faith Museum, as well as projects from the multi million pound Future High Street Fund and Stronger Towns Fund. All of these things combined with the fantastic people of the town make the future of Bishop Auckland very exciting.

On behalf of Bishop Auckland Town Council, my fellow Councillors and Town Council Officers, I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and above all a healthy 2022.

The Town Council office will be closed from 5pm on Thursday 23rd December 2020 until 9am on Tuesday 4th January 2021.

If you have a urgent query, please email council@bishopauckland-tc.gov.uk; please note there will be limited access to emails during this period.

On behalf of the Mayor, Councillors and Staff, we would like to wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year!