One other option, as I probably mentioned much earlier in this thread when I initiated it as I was then as Essex resident, is to contact each and every councillor directly and personally.   Their email addresses should be available via either the ECC website or upon request, sometimes it is also possible to find out their personal email addresses (I always prefer the later in case the council screens member emails, they can certainly access them).   Not all councillors will take the interest they should (I can bet the one representing the division where we used to live won't even reply!) but if you can recruit even a few to the cause, it could be a catalyst for change.  (At least there is no longer Lord Hanningfield as leader, he was one of the worst supporters of the 0845.)

See what a campaigner  found out as the result of  a Freedom of Information Act request.

http://www.chelmsfordweeklynews.co.uk/news/13627341.County_Hall_0845_number____c...

Behind the scenes work by the Fair Telecoms Campaign and a local campaigner has finally achieved a result.

Essex County Council will introduce 0345 numbers on 2 November 2015.

The 0845 numbers will announce that a new 0345 number is available and give callers the choice to hang on or hang up and re-dial.

At some later date this will change to an announcement that informs the caller of the new number and immediately ends the call.

The Essex CC website has been updated to show the new 0345 numbers.

See http://www.essex.gov.uk/Pages/Contact-us.aspx

Do let them know if any pages have been missed.

CJT-80 wrote on Nov 10^th, 2015 at 11:23am:

How about (if you prefer to save us a few pennies but it will cost you the same)

kasg wrote on Nov 11^th, 2015 at 4:23pm:


Sounds PERFECT to me 

bazzerfewi wrote on Nov 12^th, 2015 at 12:06pm:

The term "revenue sharing" applies only when money changes hands in direct proportion to the volume of incoming calls - i.e. as a "share" of the "revenue" received through the termination fee. It is permitted on all 084/087/09 numbers, but not on others.

If the user of the number benefits by a reduced (or zero) charge for the service, then the term "revenue sharing" does not strictly apply. The classic example of this is when DWP, many years ago, changed its arrangements so as to avoid "revenue sharing", by simply paying a lower rate in the first place rather than benefiting from a "cashback".

(Is it not wonderful to be able to refer to DWP and 0845 numbers simply as an historic curiosity.)

It gets better. In order to be seen to 'not be profiting from the use of an 0845 number', DWP didn't collect the 0.5p per minute revenue share payments they were entitled to. Instead, they just let their provider keep the money. Later they used it to barter a discount for other services.

Margaret Hodge and the Public Accounts Committee got to the bottom of things in September 2013.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/house-of-commons-23934512 from the beginning.

This led to the Cabinet Office publishing their Guidance in December 2013 and DWP changing to 0345 numbers in March or April 2014.


Additionally, in December 2013, the Student Loans Company was savaged by Margaret Hodge and the Public Accounts Committee over their failure to move away from 084 numbers after it was highlighted at a previous enquiry some 5 months earlier.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/house-of-commons-25339852 starting at about at 1h36m

Those actions, among many others, got us where we are today. Very few public services retain usage of 084 or 087 numbers.