Update: BT have apologised for the errors

So, just got an email from the Council PR department to say that despite sending to BT the list of County Councillors and their phone numbers well in time and fully correct, the new phone book is to say the least wrong.

Out of 126 county councillors less than 30 have been listed. At least three are listed but are not county councillors.

Utterly embarrassing.

Council Email:

Dear Councillor

I am writing to alert you to an issue with the Durham and Wearside phone book which BT has started to distribute in the county.

In spite of our best efforts to check numbers and notify BT of any changes in good time, the phonebook contains a number of errors and bears little resemblance to the information we provided to BT at the end of last year for the new publication.  The most notable errors are that a number of councillor listings have been omitted, as have some of our key service numbers, and BT has continued to publish a series of numbers for Durham City Council, even though we have advised them previously that the city council no longer exists.

We are contacting BT as a matter urgency to complain about the publication and to request that they ensure that their online listings are correct.

I have to make clear that we have invested a considerable amount of time in checking and re-checking numbers and liaising with the different divisions in BT to ensure that the numbers they publish on our behalf are correct.  It is therefore a huge disappointment to my team that in spite of our best efforts, BT continue to publish out of date numbers for the council.

As well as complaining to BT about the quality of service, we will also review alternative approaches to publishing our numbers in future years.