Michael Stead
Photo: Durham

Durham planning committee

Councillor Michael Stead

Member, Area Planning Committee (South and West)

Seen at planning committee from September 2025 to September 2026

  • 86%attendance
  • 2recorded votes
  • 9agreed, no vote against recorded
  • 13decisions at their meetings

Councillor's page on the council's website

As at 17 September 2026, according to Plota’s analysis of Durham’s published minutes, Councillor Michael Stead attended 6 of the 7 planning committee meetings whose minutes list them, from September 2025 to September 2026. Each member's vote is recorded on 2 decisions at those meetings: Stead voted for the resolution on both. On 2 of those votes the officers’ recommendation is known, and 1 went against it. On 9 other decisions the minutes record no vote against, so Stead is counted as agreeing; they are left out of the shares below.

Meetings attended
6 of 786%
Meetings whose minutes list them as present, sending apologies or absent. Minutes that list only those present cannot show an absence.
Decisions at their meetings
13
Applications decided at the meetings they sat on, as the minutes record them.
Recorded votes
2
Decisions where the minutes, the council's recorded vote or the meeting's recording give each member's vote: 2 for, 0 against, 0 abstained.
Agreed, no vote against recorded
9
Decisions the minutes record with no vote against and no count. Counted as agreeing, and left out of the shares.
Declared interests
0
Decisions on which the minutes record them declaring an interest.

Voting record

Votes by quarter

Not drawn: 2 recorded votes in one quarter is too few to show a pattern over time.

Against officer advice

Not drawn: 2 recorded votes with a known officers’ recommendation is too few to compare.

Agreement with other members

Not drawn: the minutes record no divided vote of this councillor by name. On a unanimous vote every member agrees, so it says nothing about agreement.

Attendance

86%

6 of 7 meetings whose minutes list them; apologies for 1.

The typical member of this committee attended 86% (the median of 31 members listed at 5 or more meetings).

Every meeting

Each square is a meeting whose minutes list them, oldest first.

PresentApologies
20252026

Area Planning Committee (South and West): 6 meetings

Show as a table
Every meeting
DateCommitteeAttendance
17 Sep 2026Area Planning Committee (South and West)Present
16 Jul 2026Area Planning Committee (South and West)Apologies
19 Feb 2026Area Planning Committee (South and West)Present
11 Dec 2025Area Planning Committee (South and West)Present
20 Nov 2025Area Planning Committee (South and West)Present
16 Oct 2025Area Planning Committee (South and West)Present
18 Sep 2025Area Planning Committee (South and West)Present

Decisions

Every application decided at a meeting they sat on, newest first, with their vote where the minutes give it.

Show
Their vote
Outcome

In the minutes

What the minutes record Stead moving, seconding, asking or saying on each decision, in the minutes’ own words. Passages that name more than one councillor, or a member of the public, are left out.

Subjects in what the minutes record

  • Spoke
    “Councillor M Stead reiterated that it was private land and there was nothing to stop the landowner fencing the land off.”
    Minutes, 19 Feb 2026, Land East Of Buckingham Terrace Leeholme
  • Asked a question
    “Councillor M Stead asked if the applicant owned the property outright.”
    Minutes, 19 Feb 2026, 2 The Paddock Toronto Bishop Auckland
  • Seconded
    “Councillor M Stead seconded the motion to go with officer recommendation for approval. He was disappointed that two ward members for the area had not stayed to make comments.”
    Minutes, 19 Feb 2026, Land To The North Of Redworth Business Park Redworth Road Shildon
  • Asked about parking
    “Councillor Stead asked if Byerley Park Primary School had been consulted regarding parking as he had noticed that cars parked in the area when collecting and dropping off children which was not ideal.”
    Minutes, 11 Dec 2025, Site Of Former Horndale Working Mens Club Meadowfield Way Newton Aycliffe
  • Asked a question
    “Councillor M Stead queried why if the planning application was retrospective why they had continued with the works as the committee did not like retrospective planning applications.”
    Minutes, 11 Dec 2025, 8 Church Mews Winston Darlington
  • Spoke
    “Councillor M Stead stated that he had also seen several properties come through the planning committee for a change of use into children’s care homes.”
    Minutes, 20 Nov 2025, Applegarth New Road Crook
  • Asked a question
    “Councillor M Stead asked for the late representations to be read out to get a judgement of what reasons were being put for or against the application from residents.”
    Minutes, 16 Oct 2025, Church House 78 Front Street Stanhope Bishop Auckland
  • Spoke
    “Councillor M Stead agreed that it was an excellent application. He drove past the building and it was a fantastic solution to a derelict building to be brought back into use.”
    Minutes, 18 Sep 2025, 32-38 Market Place Northside Bishop Auckland
  • Raised concerns about highway safety
    “Councillor M Stead reiterated that there were no concerns from highways on the application itself.”
    Minutes, 18 Sep 2025, 2 - 3 Central Buildings Front Street Staindrop Darlington
  • Spoke
    “Councillor M Stead stressed that the use of the shop had already been established and it could open at any time as it was with or without the signage. He thought that residents may be happier if it reopened as a restaurant again but as the premises had class E commercial use it could open as anything at any time.”
    Minutes, 18 Sep 2025, 2 - 3 Central Buildings Front Street Staindrop Darlington
  • Asked about the conditions
    “In response to a query from Councillor M Stead regarding opening hours, the Principal Planning Officer reiterated that there could be no condition placed on the application for the use of the premises including the restriction on opening hours.”
    Minutes, 18 Sep 2025, 2 - 3 Central Buildings Front Street Staindrop Darlington
  • Spoke
    “Councillor M Stead was minded that the side sign would substitute that sign that was already on the side of the building but was in doubt about the sign at the front of the building.”
    Minutes, 18 Sep 2025, 2 - 3 Central Buildings Front Street Staindrop Darlington
  • Spoke on heritage
    “Councillor M Stead noted that the building was in a conservation area and seconded the motion for refusal of the advertising consent based on contradiction of Policy 44 and that it was not in keeping with the village itself. He had found it difficult to refuse the side sign as there was already a sign on the side of the building.”
    Minutes, 18 Sep 2025, 2 - 3 Central Buildings Front Street Staindrop Darlington
  • Asked a question
    “Councillor M Stead queried if the side sign could be changed if there was already an existing sign on the building.”
    Minutes, 18 Sep 2025, 2 - 3 Central Buildings Front Street Staindrop Darlington

How this is worked out

Everything here is read from Durham’s published planning committee minutes, 34 meetings from September 2025 to September 2026. A councillor is matched across meetings by the council’s own member number where it has one, otherwise by full name.

Each vote shows how it is known. Named in the minutes: the minutes, or the council’s own recorded vote, list each member with their vote. From the count and the names: the minutes give the numbers and name the members in the minority, and every member present is known. All members present in favour: the minutes say every member voted for it and the members present are known. No vote against recorded: the minutes record the decision with no vote against, no abstention and no count, at a council whose minutes print a divided vote when there is one, so each member present is counted for. Unanimous vote: the minutes call the decision unanimous, or give a count with no one against and no one abstaining, and each member present is counted for. From the meeting recording: the vote was heard on the council’s recording of the meeting and closes exactly with the members present. Where none of these holds, the vote is left as “Not recorded” and is not counted.

Votes are on the resolution the committee passed, so a vote for is a vote with the majority. A vote is a decision on the application in front of the committee, not a statement of the councillor’s views. A percentage is shown only with five or more votes, decisions or meetings behind it.

Source: Plota analysis of the council’s minutes. The party is from the council’s own list of councillors.

Also on this committee

All Durham committee councillors