Contact us

Contacting us in an emergency

If you are contacting us about something that is causing an immediate danger to someone's safety, it is classed as an emergency.

You should contact us by telephone to report an emergency on 0300 131 2 131, rather than using our online form.

Our opening hours are Monday and Tuesday 9am to 5pm; Wednesday 9.30am to 5pm; Thursday 9am to 5pm and Friday 9am to 4.30pm.

Contacting us outside of normal office hours

We offer the following emergency services outside of normal office hours which you can use by calling us on 0300 131 2 131.

Social care

For urgent social care issues that cannot wait until the next working day and the situation requires an emergency response you can contact our emergency duty team. We provide a contact point for advice and, where necessary, immediate service to individuals and families who are experiencing crisis in their lives.

This may include, but is not limited to:

• a child or young person who is at immediate risk of harm
• a child protection investigation is needed because of physical, sexual or emotional abuse or neglect
• a child or young person needs immediate mental health support
• a vulnerable adult is at risk of neglect or abuse and requires immediate safeguarding
• the care provision for a vulnerable adult has broken down
• an adult is in need of a mental health act assessment

Homelessness

If you are homeless, we may be able to arrange emergency accommodation outside of normal office hours - this might be away from your immediate area.

Housing repairs for council tenants

We provide an emergency repair service for:

• total loss of electric
• leaks from a water pipe, tank or cistern
• unsafe power or lighting socket or electrical fitting
• total loss of water supply
• insecure external windows, doors or locks
• total or partial loss of gas supply
• blocked flues to open fires or boilers
• heating or hot water not working between 31 October and 1 May
• toilets not flushing (if there is only one toilet in the property)
• blocked or leaking foul drains, soil stacks or toilets

We aim to attend, make safe and if possible repair any faults within 24 hours of your first call.

Find out more about emergency out of hours repairs for council tenants.

Registrars

The registrars out of hours service is available for the following purposes:

• to inform our registration service about an emergency connected to a ceremony due to take place within the next 24 hours
• to request a deathbed marriage or civil partnership ceremony
• to inform us about a burial required within 24 hours

Trading Standards

Our Trading Standards out of hours service is available to report an illegal importation of animals. If you suspect an animal has a notifiable disease please contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency on 03000 200 301.

Highways

To report a highway emergency please contact 101 and speak to North Yorkshire Police. Highway emergencies include:

• any highway hazards such as flooding, mud or diesel spillages, carriageway debris, fallen trees
• any road or footway defects which may be a danger to highway users

You can report a non-emergency highway issue on our potholes and road condition issues page.

Call recordings

Calls may be recorded in line with our call recording policy.