Changes to availability of council services this Christmas

There will be a number of changes to the availability of council services and facilities this Christmas.

More and more council services can now be accessed online at any time at lancaster.gov.uk.  However, for those who don’t have access to the internet and may require a service on key dates over the Christmas period, phonelines will remain open until 3pm on Christmas Eve (Tuesday, December 24).  Customer service phonelines will be open on Friday, December 27 from 10am-4pm and on New Year’s Eve (Tuesday, December 31), phonelines will remain open until 3pm.

Customer service centres at Lancaster and Morecambe Town Halls will be open for face-to-face enquiries until 3pm on Christmas Eve (Tuesday, December 24) and re-open at 9am on Monday, December 30. The centres will then close at 3pm on New Year’s Eve (Tuesday, December 31) and re-open at 9am on Thursday, January 2.

Christmas waste and recycling collections

Don’t forget to check your collection calendar as there will be changes over the Christmas and New Year period to your normal waste and recycling collection days.

There will be no collections on December 25 and 26 and January 1.

Everyone will be affected by the changes this year.  See the table below to check your revised Christmas and New Year collection dates.

Normal Collection	Christmas and New Year Collection
Monday, December 23	Saturday, December 21
Tuesday, December 24	Monday, December 23
Wednesday, December 25	Tuesday, December 24
Thursday, December 26	Friday, December 27
Friday, December 27	Saturday, December 28
Monday, December 30	No Change
Tuesday, December 31	No Change
Wednesday, January 1	Thursday, January 2
Thursday, January 2	Friday, January 3
Friday, January 3	Saturday, January 4

If in doubt you can view or download your 2024/25 calendars at www.lancaster.gov.uk/bins  

Collection of large or bulky items

For large or bulky household items, residents can book a Bulky Matters collection online at www.lancaster.gov.uk/bulkymatters  It should be noted that Bulky Matters collections will be taking a Christmas break from Saturday, December 21 until Thursday, January 2.

Alternatively, you can call upon recycling and reuse charity Freegle which offers a free internet-based service where people can give away and ask for things that would otherwise be thrown away – visit www.ilovefreegle.org  for more information. Don’t throw it away, give it away.

Batteries

Christmas would be a bit dull without larger than normal supplies of batteries, so the council is urging residents to use its battery recycling collection service to dispose of their used batteries.  Disposing of your batteries with your household waste can cause fires in council collection wagons as well as at the transfer station and processing plant.  For more information on the council’s battery recycling scheme, visit www.lancaster.gov.uk/battery-recycling

Coffee Pods

If a coffee pod coffee maker is on your Christmas list, you might like to sign up to the Podback recycling scheme and have them collected by the council for recycling alongside your other recyclable waste. For more information on the scheme, visit www.lancaster.gov.uk/podback.  To sign up to receive your free Podback coffee pod bags, visit www.podback.org 

For more information and top tips for what can be recycled over the festive season, visit www.recyclenow.com

Suspension of garden waste collections

Residents in the Lancaster district who have subscribed to the council’s garden waste collection service are being reminded that collections are suspended over the winter months in what is traditionally the quietest time for gardeners.

There will be no collections from Monday, December 7 until the service resumes on Monday, February 17 2025.

During this time, residents can either compost the green waste or dispose of it at a local recycling centre.

Anyone wanting to subscribe online which is the quickest way to receive the service from April 1 2025, will be able to do so in the new year.  More information will become available nearer the time.

Trade waste collection service

There will also be changes to the council’s commercial waste and collection service over the Christmas and New Year period.  For more information visit www.lancaster.gov.uk/commercial-waste 

Christmas tree collections

For a small donation to St John’s Hospice, you can have your real Christmas trees collected from your doorstep by hospice volunteers in the new year. For more information or to book yourself a collection, visit www.sjhospice.org.uk/shop/christmas or email trees@sjhospice.org.uk

Markets

Festive opening times for the Charter Market and Assembly Rooms Emporium in Lancaster and Festival Market in Morecambe can be found at www.lancaster.gov.uk/markets

Salt Ayre Leisure Centre

Salt Ayre Leisure Centre will close for Christmas at 1pm on Christmas Eve and re-open at 6am on Friday, December 27.  The centre will close for New Year at 1pm on New Year’s Eve and re-open at 6am on Thursday, January 2.

For more information on timetables, visit www.lancaster.gov.uk/saltayre  

Williamson Park

The Pavilion Café, shop and other attractions will close at 3pm on Tuesday, December 24 and re-open as usual on Friday, December 27.  They will close again at 3pm on New Year’s Eve and re-open as usual on Thursday, January 2.

Visitors to the park will still be able to enjoy access to the park for walks and play throughout the festive season.

Cemeteries Service

The council’s cemeteries office will be open in line with council office opening hours and will close at 3pm on Tuesday, December 24 and re-open at 9am on Monday, December 30.  They will then close at 3pm on Tuesday, December 31 and re-open at 9am on Thursday, January 2.

However, all seven of the council’s cemeteries will be open as normal – 24 hours a day, seven days a week for visitors and their vehicles.

Funerals will continue to take place as booked.

For more information visit www.lancaster.gov.uk/cemeteries

Don’t forget, for information on all council services and to report issues, pay and register for services online, at any time, from anywhere and on any device, visit lancaster.gov.uk

Last updated: 09 December 2024