Citizens Advice County Durham

Reference number: 617615

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Authorised by the FCA

This firm is on the FCA register and authorised to carry out regulated activities.

Website, phone number and address

Compare these against whatever you were given. Scammers clone real firm names and reference numbers but use their own phone number and website, so a detail that does not match the register is the clearest warning sign there is.

In the full report: 3 background checks

  • When citizensadvicecd.org.uk first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
  • What kind of line 0300 323 1000 is
  • Who else gives the postcode DL16 6BB
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Other names (2)

If you were contacted under any of these names, it is this firm.

  • Greater Durham Citizens Advice Bureau Former name
  • DURHAM CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU Former trading name

The firm, by virtue of its constitution or any enactment, must be:(i) required (after payment of outgoings) to apply the whole of its income and any capital it expends for charitable or public purposes, and (ii) prohibited from directly or indirectly distributing amongst its members any part of its assets (otherwise than for charitable or public purposes); And the firm must not have any associate (other than a not-for profit debt advice body) which carries on debt adjusting or debt counselling or providing credit information services.)

FCA permissions and consumer protection

  • Lend or arrange credit No FSCS cover
    Consumer credit is not covered by the FSCS, so there is no compensation scheme if the firm fails.
  • Complaints Ombudsman, free
    You can refer a complaint about this firm to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free, whichever activity it relates to.
Show FCA detail (3 permissions)
  • Debt Adjusting
  • Debt-counselling
  • Providing Credit Information Services

FCA disciplinary action and complaints

No FCA disciplinary action.

The Financial Ombudsman Service only publishes complaint figures for firms with 30 or more new complaints in six months, so there are none here for this firm.

Companies House record

The company behind the firm: its status, age, registered office and directors.

Company number
08357279
Company status
Active
Company type
Private company limited by guarantee
Incorporated
11 January 2013 (13 years old)
Registered office
71 High Street, Spennymoor, DL16 6BB, England
Nature of business
  • Activities of other membership organisations not elsewhere classified (SIC 94990)

Directors and company secretaries

Name Role Born Appointed Other companies
Michael Smith Director Apr 1948 20 May 2014 3 other companies
John Scollen Director Jan 1962 17 Nov 2015 4 other companies
John William Taylor Director Nov 1943 15 Mar 2016 None
Alan Shield Director Jan 1952 21 Sep 2021 4 other companies
David Blackwell Director May 1950 16 Nov 2021 None
Jennifer Smurthwaite Director Nov 1957 12 Sep 2022 None
Adele Barnett Director Jan 1976 13 Sep 2023 None
Geoffrey Field Director Jul 1961 26 May 2026 1 other company
Matthew Thomas Tunnicliffe-John Director Aug 1989 26 May 2026 None
Janice Gillespie Director Sep 1962 1 Sep 2026 None

Other companies run by these 10 directors

A firm is run by people, and their other companies are their track record: what they built, what closed, and anything that failed. It is the check most people never think to make.

other companies
12
closed down
3
is FCA-registered
1

In the full report: all 12 companies, named

  • What each company does, and whether it is still trading
  • Which of these 10 directors sit on each board, and since when
  • Any that went into liquidation or administration
  • The one on the FCA register
  • All 44 people who have ever been directors, with their dates
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Filed accounts and finances

Year to 31 March 2025Full accountsAudited

Employees (average)

79

−35% from 121

About these figures
Turnover
Money taken from sales in the year, before any costs.
Profit before tax
What was left after the year’s costs, before corporation tax. A minus figure is a loss.
Net assets, or total equity
Everything the company owns minus everything it owes. A minus figure means it owes more than it owns.
Total assets and total liabilities
Everything the company owns, and everything it owes, on the last day of the year. The gap between them is its net assets.
Cash at bank
Money in the company’s accounts on the last day of the year.
Owed within a year, owed after a year
Debts and bills due in the next twelve months, and those due later.

Accounts filed at Companies House for company 08357279. Figures are exactly as filed; nothing is estimated.

Key dates in its history

Citizens Advice County Durham’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (5) All events (86)

2015

15 May 2015

  • Changed its registered name from "Greater Durham Citizens Advice Bureau"

FCA register

2014

1 April 2014

  • Regulated by the FCA from this date
  • FCA imposed a requirement (Not for profit firm)
  • Became authorised by the FCA

FCA register · Companies House

2013

11 January 2013

  • Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

In the full report: all 86 events

  • All 86 events in its history (5 shown here)
  • Every director appointment and resignation: 78
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Firms connected to Citizens Advice County Durham

Other FCA-listed firms that share a director, phone number or address with Citizens Advice County Durham. A link shows who the firm is tied to, not whether either can be trusted.

connected firms
2
no longer authorised
1
share a director
1

In the full report: all 2 connected firms, named

  • How each is linked: shared directors (1), the same postcode (1)
  • Who links each one: the named directors, with dates
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Firms like Citizens Advice County Durham

Other firms of the same type (debt advice or management), nearest first.

In the Darlington (DL) postcode area

Citizens Advice Darlington, Redcar and ClevelandDarlingtonAuthorisedNew Life Baptist Church NorthallertonNorthallertonAuthorisedNorth Yorkshire Citizens Advice & Law Centre LimitedNorthallertonAuthorised

Firms are listed by type and location, best known first. Being listed is not a recommendation: check any firm before you deal with it.

Get the full report on Citizens Advice County Durham

Everything on this page, plus everything locked above, in one dated PDF you can keep, file or send on.

  • 12 other companies its directors have run, named
  • 3 background checks on its contact details
  • All 86 events in its history
  • 2 connected firms, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Citizens Advice County Durham FCA authorised?
Yes, Citizens Advice County Durham (FRN 617615) is authorised by the FCA to carry out regulated activities. It has held its current authorisation since April 2014 and works as a debt advice or management. The FCA has placed no limits on its permissions.
What is Citizens Advice County Durham’s phone number and website?
The FCA register lists the phone number 0300 323 1000 and the website citizensadvicecd.org.uk for Citizens Advice County Durham. If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further.
Is Citizens Advice County Durham a scam or clone?
Citizens Advice County Durham is a genuine FCA-listed firm, and the FCA has published no warnings about fake versions of it. Scammers do copy real firms, though, so check that any contact details you were given match the ones on the register.
Is my money safe with Citizens Advice County Durham?
Its FCA permissions do not allow it to hold or control client money. Protection depends on which product you hold and how Citizens Advice County Durham handles your money, so check the specific product before you commit. You can also refer complaints about Citizens Advice County Durham to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free of charge.
Who runs Citizens Advice County Durham?
Companies House lists 10 directors of Citizens Advice County Durham: Michael Smith, John Scollen, John William Taylor, Alan Shield, David Blackwell, Jennifer Smurthwaite and 4 more.
How long has Citizens Advice County Durham been in business?
The company was formed on 11 January 2013, and has held its current FCA authorisation since April 2014.
What do Citizens Advice County Durham’s latest accounts show?
Does Citizens Advice County Durham use any other names?
It has previously used 2 other names: Greater Durham Citizens Advice Bureau and DURHAM CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU.

Sources and links

The full report on Citizens Advice County Durham

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