What happens to council services over Christmas?

Southampton City Council says most services will run as normal during the festive period, but there are areas that will be affected or unavailable.

From bin collections to office opening times, here is a round up of information and the services affected.

READ MORE: Housing benefits and tenant payments: Council shares Christmas timetable

Customer services

Customer Services phone lines are open from 8.30am to 5pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 9am to 5pm on Wednesdays and from 8.30am to 4.30pm on Fridays.

They are closed on bank holidays.

On the last Friday before Christmas (December 23), phone lines will be open from 8.30am to 12 noon. They will reopen on Wednesday December 28 as usual.

Lines will also be closed on Monday January 2 and reopening the next day.

The Gateway in Guildhall Square will open from 10am to 3pm from Monday, December 19 to Thursday, December 22 and from 10am to 12noon on Friday, December 23.

It will be closed the week between Christmas and New Year's, reopening with normal hours on Tuesday, January 3.

The Civic Centre reception will be closed from 12noon on December 23 until January 3. 

Bin collections

Bin collections will be unchanged until Boxing Day.

Between then and Monday, January 2, collections will be one day later than your usual collection day.

If your usual collection day is a Monday, it will be a Tuesday instead and so on.

Normal collections resume on Monday, January 2.

Garden waste and bulk waste collections

Garden waste collections will be suspended the week commencing on Boxing Day and will start again on Monday, January 9.

Requests for larger bins will not be processed between December 19 and January 9.

Bulky waste collections will continue as normal.

Tip

The tip will be open seven days a week, 9am to 6pm, except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day when it will be closed.

Christmas trees

Real Christmas trees won't be collected with kerbside general waste collections.

Existing Garden Waste customers must cut up their trees into small pieces and place these inside their brown-lidded bins.

Residents who do not subscribe to the garden waste service are encouraged to take their trees to recycling centres or add them to their own home compost system. 

Libraries

All council libraries will open as normal with the exception of national bank holidays and Christmas Eve. They will also be closed on Wednesday, December 28 and on Saturday December 31, opening hours will be 10am to 2pm. 

All community operated libraries will be closed throughout the Christmas and New Year period. 

Museums and Art Gallery

Southampton City Art Gallery and Tudor House and Garden will be closed from Christmas Eve to New Year's Day (inclusive), reopening on Monday, January 2.

SeaCity Museum will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

Southampton Register Office

Southampton Register Office will operate by appointment only between 9am and 12 noon on Friday, December 23.

It will be closed between Christmas Eve and Tuesday, December 27 and on Monday, January 2.

From Wednesday 28 to Thursday, December 29 appointments will be offered between 9am and 4pm.

On Friday, December 30, these will be available until 3.30pm while the next day, the office will be open for pre-booked ceremonies only 9.30am till 12.30pm.

Normal opening times resume on Tuesday, January 3.

To book a birth or death appointment, book online by visiting register a birth or register a death. Email deathregistrations@southampton.gov.uk for death queries or registrars@southampton.gov.uk for any other query.

Click here for information on housing benefits and council tenant payments over Christmas

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support in reading the Daily Echo.

Subscribing to the Echo means you have unrestricted access to the latest news, features and Saints coverage - all with an advertising-light website.

You will also have full access to Saintsplus, your new home for Southampton FC tactical analysis, features and much, much more.

Don't just take my word for it - subscribe today.

Follow the latest breaking news in the Southampton area by searching Southampton News - Breaking News and Incidents on Facebook

Follow the latest court and crime news on our dedicated group by searching Hampshire Court and Crime News on Facebook