Changes to council services and opening times over the Christmas period

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 on our website.

However, for those who don’t have access to the internet and may require a service on key dates over the Christmas period, our customer service centres and phonelines will be open as following:

Date	Customer service centre opening times (LTH and MTH)	Phoneline opening times
Monday, December 22	9am-4.30pm	9am-5pm
Tuesday, December 23	9am-4.30pm	9am-5pm
Wednesday, December 24	9am-3pm	10am-3pm
Thursday, December 25	Closed	Closed
Friday, December 26	Closed	Closed
Monday, December 29	9am-4.30pm	9am-5pm
Tuesday, December 30	9am-4.30pm	9am-5pm
Wednesday, December 31	9am-3pm	10am-3pm
Thursday, January 1	Closed	Closed
Friday, January 2	9am-4.30pm	9am-5pm

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.

If in doubt you can view or download your 2025/26 calendars at www.lancaster.gov.uk/bins  

Normal Collection	Christmas and New Year Collection
Monday, December 22	Saturday, December 20
Tuesday, December 23	Monday, December 22
Wednesday, December 24	Tuesday, December 23
Thursday, December 25	Wednesday December 24
Friday, December 26	Saturday, December 27
Monday, December 29	No change
Tuesday, December 30	No change
Wednesday, December 31	No change
Thursday, January 1	Friday, January 2
Friday, January 2	Saturday, January 3

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 20 until Friday, 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

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

Charter Market

Trading as usual throughout the festive period every Wednesday and Saturday.

Assembly Rooms Emporium

• Christmas Eve – 10am to 3pm
• Christmas Day – Closed
• Boxing Day – 11am to 3pm
• Saturday 27^th December – 10am to 5.30pm
• Tuesday 30^th and 31^st December, and Thursday January 1 – Closed
• Friday 2^nd January – 10am to 5.30pm

Except for Hester’s Haberdashery in the Back Room who will close at 5pm on Tuesday 23^rd December and re-open on Friday 2^nd January at 10am.

Festival Market

The Festival Market will be closed on December 25 and January 1 but open as normal on other normal trading days (Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays) from 9am-4.30pm.

Salt Ayre Leisure Centre

Salt Ayre Leisure Centre will be closed on December 25, 26 and January 1 and some facilities may close early on other days. For more information on timetables visit www.lancaster.gov.uk/saltayre  

Cemeteries Service

The council’s cemeteries office will be open in line with council office opening hours and will close at 3pm on Wednesday December 24 and re-open at 9am on Monday, December 29.  They will then close at 3pm on Wednesday December 31 and re-open at 9am on Friday 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: 12 December 2025