Durham County Council Reviews 79

Not a friendly council or helpful

The planning department at this council seem to make up their own rules as they go along and don't comply or follow statutory national guidelines or legislation

Biggest fraudsters going like the government .Every one should not pay there w a n k of council tax . They get there hand outs well no wonder the so called top nobs have good pensions from i d i o t s like us . They exactly like the b.b.c hand outs easy money making for them to live like kings while other live like t w a t s

Hopeless website. Pre recorded voice says"if you want to save time do it online." What a joke! Spent 30 minutes or more trying to pay for my garden waste online. Then further 20 mins on the telephone, then AI tells me I've entered an invalid card number. What do i do now?

Had trouble with my council tax after my wife moved into my property. Called the helpline and the person I spoke to was very helpful and sorted it out fairly quickly for me.

Spoke to person after police yet again said Durham Council can and have to help.

Attitude was combative, unhelpful, totally without any empathy to the situation and stated that they have debt owed to me to warrant them helping me! Why was any previous financial debt to me by them relevant at all or required in first place? I was asking for advice on how to sort the problem which is very urgent myself - DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL NOW HAVE A POLICY OF OFFERING HOUSING ADVICE TO POTENTIALLY SOON TO BE HOMELESS PEOPLE IF THEY PERSON IN NEED HAS GIVEN MORE MONEY TO COUNCIL???

Selective licensing wouldn't trust them has for doing a job really and blatantly lies on there reports which was not what I requested do not listen so another waste of time there job is to improve area what a joke really and you got out lying I have the evidence no rats lmao they why pest control been out twice in two days really ..

Tried to report a dangerous pothole, but not a snowballs chance using on-line process.
In this day and age, how can such an organisation expect its customers to use such a useless website……. unless that’s the plan to avoid communication.

If I could give 0 stars I would. Absolutely disgusting the way they speak to people. Needed
Help with a fuel voucher as
We have used more with being poorly to the point one of us is in hospital. Spoke
To me like I was a naughty child, wanted to know what I had spent money on etc… came off the phone in tears, as if times aren’t hard enough, do they think I want to ask for help, I’m 48yr old not a child looks
Like I’m going cold
And hungry. Awful bullying staff

I purchased a new sofa, I phoned Durham County Council to come and take away my old one. I was willing to pay the £22 to have it removed but because we had to dismantle it to get it back out my bungalow, they have refused to remove it because it has some foam exposed. I don’t have a car and they advised me to look for someone with a van which hasn’t helped as 3 years ago I paid someone to remove rubbish for me only to find out they fly tipped it for £80!!!!
I thought the council were meant to take your rubbish for you for a price but obviously not !!!!

I had the neighbourhood wardens over and I explained I cannot pay until the 13th of September to have my bulky waste removed. Feeding my children is priority over this. I went to book a date on their website and I get error 404 not found. I went to call Stewey’s in Spennymoor as I was given this card by the neighbourhood warden. They laughed and said I would be fined. I reported this to the council. They told me to call on Monday instead as the email message that I sent to the council had not been replied to properly my concerns had not been read and addressed. I will call on Monday but they need to get their act together. It’s quite incompetent when you’re trying to ask for help.

Ridiculous website very laggy very slow very unresponsive! Hopefully some day (next century) this will be fixed!

As per everyone else, hugely dissatisfied by the total lack of competence offered by DCC.
Some examples include closing off many streets for the chaotic miners gala.instead of using a map, a technology that's been around for a few years, you get a list of roads?
Who thought this is a useful idea? Or maybe its just the laziest option without consideration. One of many such examples.

Roads closed to ALL vehicles including pedal cycles and hand carts (except those pre-approved by the organiser) except for any vehicle/pedal cycles being used for Police, Fire Service or Ambulance purposes between 4.00am and 8.00pm:

New Elvet Bridge
New Elvet
Old Elvet
Territorial Lane
Elvet Waterside
Elvet Crescent
Prison Green (Old Elvet South)
Court Lane
Pelaw Leazes Lane
Elvet Bridge
Market Place
Saddler Street
Owengate
Palace Green
Silver Street
Framwellgate Bridge
North Bailey (north of the access to Hatfield College)
North Road (southbound between A690 North Road roundabout and to opposite the Bus Station exit and between its junctions with the Bus Station exit and Framwellgate Bridge)
Crossgate (from junction with North Road/Framwellgate Bridge to the junction with South Street)
Green Lane

A tree came down across a right of way here a week ago.
The fallen tree still hadnt been reported by this Tuesday. I phoned the County Council. They were absolutely brilliant.
I sent a photo to assist them in finding it as there are massive woodlands here.
The tree was gone by yesterday morning so I presume they came out and cleared the very same day that I contacted them
Thats great service
Many thanks.

Absolutely terrible, try using their site, they give you the options what or who you can complain about, then when you get in touch with the help center they tell you to send your complaint to the correct department without telling you the address to do, what do these people get paid for.

I made a complaint about missed bin collection

and got no help whatsoever the reply I got from some one who was supposed to help me basically said hard lines we will not help you
No wonder they have such a bad reputation

This council are a disgrace to the human race. The way they treat the homeless and then offer assistance with help with a welfare grant then scheme there way out of that too is utterly disgusting. You wouldn’t treat a dog the way this council treats the homeless single mothers. I’m disgusted

I'm not surprised when people comment on Durham county council. They must be one of the worst councils in England. They look after themselves, not the public. You want to try putting for grants and then put a complaint in. Please do not deal with somebody called Michelle OBE cuz she's above everyone attitude. They're supposed to help people who need grants I have stepped down from my positions because of one person OBE Michelle someone with attitude point North

I would have preferred to give them a -1 rating. I have just received the most obnoxious letter from someone called Lucy Formela-Osborne , valuation officer. ( any relation to George one wonders ) telling me she has the statutory power to collect to collect information from me regarding the lease of my shop. Manners and courtesy clearly are clearly not a requirement for a job at the valuation office in Durham !

for months the council has not emptied my bins on time sometimes we went 8 weeks not having them emptied ,i have complained every time to the council and a week later they send some one out but it starts again after a couple of weeks, they say the bin motor cant get down the street as a car is constantly in the way but they do nothing about getting the car moved its funny how the driver of the second bin motor they send gets down the street OK, its as if the first driver has a vendetta against my street and the council are to afraid to say anything to him