Customer Access Points and most other county council buildings in County Durham will be closed over the Christmas and New Year holidays.
They will close at 4.30pm on Friday, 22nd December and reopen at 8.30am on Tuesday, 2nd January 2018.
In the event of an emergency, residents can still contact the council on 03000 260 000 or use the 24/7 automated payments line on 0300 456 2771.
Online services will still be accessible over the festive period but requests will not be processed until council offices reopen on Tuesday, 2 January.
Leisure Centres will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. They will also close early at 4pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Riverside Sports Complex, Chester-le-Street, will close on Friday, 22nd December and reopen on Tuesday, 2nd January.
Library opening times vary. Visitors are advised to contact their local library or visit the council’s website to check times.
Day centres for adults will be closed on Bank Holidays, including Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
Children’s centres, meanwhile, will close or have restricted opening times over the Christmas period. Users are advised to contact their local centre or One Point hub to check whether it is open.
Register offices will be closed on all Bank Holidays – Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day. Offices in Bishop Auckland, Barnard Castle and Aykley Heads, in Durham, will be open between Christmas and New Year but will operate on an appointments basis only. To make an appointment, call 03000 266 000.
Sevenhills DLI research and study centre, in Spennymoor, will close at 3pm on Thursday, 21st December and reopen at 10am on Tuesday, 2nd January.
Durham County Record Office has now closed for collections management and will reopen at 8.45am on Tuesday, 2nd January.
The Park and Ride service will not operate during any of the bank holidays, including Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. It will operate as normal, from 7am to 7pm, on all other days.
Bin collections will take place as normal up to and including Friday, 22 December. Collections during the week beginning Monday, 25th December will be one day later than usual.
Normal collections will resume on Tuesday, 2nd January.
The council will again be offering a collection service for real Christmas trees. Bookings, for collection in the New Year, can be made by calling 03000 260 000 between Monday, 18th December and Sunday, 7th January.
Visit www.durham.gov.uk/festive for more information and updates on Durham County Council services during the festive period.
Residents can also keep up-to-date with any changes to council services by following @durhamcouncil on twitter or /durhamcouncil on Facebook.
As sent to the Editor of the Newton News.
