Skip to content

📄 FOI Request – Entry #001: Council Department Renaming

Date Submitted: July 2025 Subject: Department and portfolio name changes under new leadership Council: Durham County Council Majority Party: Reform UK

🧾 Background

Shortly after Reform UK took control of Durham County Council, two departments and related Cabinet portfolios were renamed:

  • “Neighbourhood and Climate Change” became “Neighbourhoods and Environment”
  • “Equality and Inclusion” became “Stronger Communities and Belonging”

No explanation was provided publicly. No consultation was announced. But the changes appeared almost immediately on the council website and internal communications.

Renaming departments and portfolios isn’t illegal. It isn’t even especially unusual. But when the new names seem designed to downplay concepts like climate change, equality, and inclusion, it’s fair to ask: who decided this, why, and at what cost?

âť“ Questions That Prompted the Request

  1. Was this change purely cosmetic, or part of a wider policy shift?
  2. Were staff or residents consulted?
  3. Was any assessment carried out to understand the implications?
  4. Did these changes cost public money (e.g., signage, branding)?
  5. Is there any internal documentation justifying the renaming?
  6. Why were specific terms like "Climate Change" and "Equality and Inclusion" removed from titles?

đź“„ FOI Requests

Original FOI Request

Submitted in June 2025, seeking:

  • Any written rationale or briefing notes outlining the reasons for the name changes.
  • Records of any consultation processes.
  • Equality Impact Assessments.
  • Internal communications about the changes.
  • Costs incurred.

In their response, the council answered only in terms of departments. They stated that the "Neighbourhoods and Climate Change Directorate" was renamed simply to match the new portfolio title, and that no further records existed explaining why the title itself changed. For "Equality and Inclusion," they claimed there was no department by that name, noting that the functions may have been part of other structures instead.

Reflecting on it, it’s possible my original wording contributed to this outcome. I’d focused on "departments," which may have allowed the council to limit their search and exclude documents about portfolios, political rationale, or broader organisational changes. They provided no emails, no internal discussions, no costings, and no deeper explanation beyond the statement about aligning names with portfolio titles.

Follow-up FOI Request

Because the first FOI response appeared incomplete and my original wording might have been too narrow, a new FOI was submitted via WhatDoTheyKnow:

See the full new FOI request here →

This new request explicitly covers:

  • Rationale for changing portfolio and department names.
  • Internal and external communications about political or policy reasons.
  • Draft names considered.
  • Instructions for implementing changes across signage, websites, documents, and branding.

This new FOI clarifies that it is not limited solely to "departments," but includes portfolios, directorates, service areas, and any administrative or political structures.

⏳ Status

Awaiting response to the new FOI request.