People in County Durham are being advised of changes to public services on the day of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
Durham County Council has confirmed the following changes to its services on Monday 19 September.
While the majority of Customer Access Points (CAP), libraries and cultural venues will be closed, the following venues will be open from 10am to 4pm to enable people to sign books of condolence for The Queen. No other services will be provided at these venues.
• Barnard Castle Customer Access Point and Library
• Bishop Auckland Town Hall
• Chester-le-Street Library
• Consett Leisure Centre
• Crook Civic Centre
• Gala Durham
• Newton Aycliffe Library and Leisure Centre
• Peterlee Library
• Seaham Customer Access Point
• Spennymoor Leisure Centre
• The Louisa Centre, Stanley
• The Dales Centre, Stanhope
Library-users will still be able to access the Borrowbox app with their library membership.
Register offices will be closed for registrations but weddings and funerals due to take place on Monday 19 September will go ahead as planned.
Durham Town Hall, Binchester Roman Fort, Killhope Lead Mining Museum and Empire Consett will be closed. Gala Durham and Bishop Auckland Town Hall will be open to enable people to sign books of condolence.
Parks in the county will remain open but catering services will not be available. Durham County Record Office and Sevenhills DLI research and study centre, in Spennymoor, will be closed.
All household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) will be closed. There will be no changes to bin collections.
The Care Connect personal alarm service will operate as normal and respond to all emergency calls. However, non-essential services such as Telecare installations and removals will not be available. Any appointments that were pre-booked are being rearranged directly with customers.
In the event of an emergency, residents can contact the council on 03000 26 0000 or use the 24/7 automated payments line on 0300 456 2771. Those who are concerned about someone who is vulnerable or at risk should contact Social Care Direct and the Emergency Duty Team on 03000 267 979.
Online council services will be available, but requests may not be processed until council offices reopen on Tuesday 20 September.
Residents can keep up to date with any changes to council services by following @durhamcouncil on Twitter or /durhamcouncil on Facebook.