Within County Durham and Darlington there is one International airport; Durham Tees Valley, located on the outskirts of Darlington.  Currently privately owned by Peel Holdings, it is classed as a ‘relevant airport operator', defined as those with an annual throughput of at least 50,000 passengers or 10,000 tonnes of freight. 

The Highways Agency is responsible for managing the major roads network, including both maintenance and management of traffic on those roads. In any local area, the Highways Agency is likely to be responsible for motorways and some of the A-roads. The Agency will have a particular interest in partnership with the police, responding to certain incidents and dealing with any recovery issues where appropriate on their roads, with the primary aim of getting road users moving again as quickly as possible.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has a crucial role to play in the assessment of risk, and the development of the Community Risk Register. The HSE also has a role in relation to COMAH sites, and offshore oil and gas installations.

Strategic Health Authorities

SHAs are the local headquarters of the NHS in England. As such they are able to mobilise and commit resources across County Durham and Darlington and are responsible for co-ordination of health services in the event of an emergency. All NHS organisations – including Primary Care Trusts and Acute Trusts – are part of a single structure and are accountable through the SHAs. As part of their role they are responsible for leading local strategic planning, and ensuring that local plans are consistent with NHS guidance and other relevant legislation and guidance.