Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Derwentside
| Derwentside District | |
|---|---|
 Shown within County Durham | |
| Geography | |
| Status: | District |
| Admin. County: | County Durham |
| Area: - Total | Ranked 168th 270.79 km² |
| Admin. HQ: | Consett |
| ONS code: | 20UD |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total (2002 est.) - Density | Ranked 268th 85,133 314 / km² |
| Ethnicity: | 99.4% White |
| Politics | |
| Derwentside District Council http://www.derwentside.gov.uk/ | |
| Leadership: | Leader & Cabinet |
| Executive: | Labour |
| MPs: | Kevan Jones, Hilary Armstrong |
Derwentside is a local government district in County Durham, England, named after the River Derwent. It sits to the west of Chester-le-Street and to the north and east of the Wear Valley district.
Its main towns are Consett and Stanley, with the district council offices on Consett's Medomsley Road. The rest of the district is semi-rural, with numerous former pit villages running into one another.
In the past, Derwentside was famous both for its steel industry and coal mining. Since their closure, the district has struggled with unemployment, although recent European Union funding has provided a boost to local business.
European money assisted in the creation of, for its time, a highly innovative community internet project. The Derwentside Infonet provided free dialup internet access to community groups, in the mid to late 1990s.
The district was formed on April 1, 1974 by the merger of Consett and Stanley urban districts with Lanchester Rural District .
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