City of Durham Parish Council
Roger Cornwell
Parish Councillor for Neville’s Cross
I was successful in my bid to become a parish councillor for the ward that I live in, Neville’s Cross. I came fourth out of the eight successful candidates, with 1,162 votes.
Thank you to everybody who voted for me, it’s good to be back on the Parish Council. This is a four year commitment for our community which I am prepared to make. But whether you voted for me or not, I’m here to work for you and to represent you. My contact details are at the foot of the page.
The political makeup of the new Parish Council is ten Liberal Democrats, four Labour, and one Independent (me). What has been heartening at this local level is seeing Parish Councillors from different parties working together for the good of the community.
Things will be very different at the County level, with Reform taking a comfortable majority with 65 of the 98 seats. It is reported that only three of the new Reform councillors have any experience of being an elected representative. Their stated policies are retrogressive and, in the case of their policies on climate change, downright dangerous. Nigel Farage’s threats to staff working on net zero and equality policies — implementing what has until now been established Council policies — are downright vindictive.
My particular skill is in planning. Planning decisions shape where we live and how we live. This is especially true in the City of Durham, with its World Heritage Site, world-class University and permanent residents. Balancing these competing needs is a challenge, and one I have been addressing for a quarter of a century and more. I hope to return to the Parish Planning Committee when committee membership is decided at the full Parish Council meeting on 28 May.
I will be issued with an official Parish email address in the next few days. In the meanwhile, if you want to contact me, please email
I’ve moved from X/Twitter to Bluesky: rogercornwell.bsky.social