Council confirms opening hours for festive period

Wokingham Borough Council has announced its office opening hours for the Christmas and New Year period.

You can report a problem to us during the festive period via our website, including missed collections or an emergency incident. The emergency out-of-hours telephone number during this period is (0800) 212 111. Social services emergencies out-of-hours telephone number is 01344 351999.

The telephone number for reporting out-of-hours repairs to council properties is (0800) 515 287 for general repairs. Calls will be managed by the council’s out-of-hours call centre and passed to the appropriate contractor. The number for heating repairs is (0800) 389 8789 and this number is only available during office hours.

In a mental health emergency, please call 999. If it is urgent but not an emergency, the Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and can provide advice, assessment and support for all ages and conditions to help you avoid going into hospital. For help, call (0800) 1299999.

Cranstoun’s domestic abuse service will be open from 9am to 5pm on weekdays, apart from Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. When the office is closed, there will be a recorded out of hours service in place, which will be monitored, but this is not to be used for emergencies or an immediate response. If emergency housing is needed, contact the Homelessness Team and in an emergency call 999.

Waste and recycling

To give our crews a well-deserved break, the regular waste collection dates in Wokingham Borough will be adjusted temporarily during the Christmas and New Year period. Residents are urged to check the revised collection schedule on the council’s website before putting out their waste and recycling during this time.

All rubbish and recycling collections, from Wednesday 25 December to Friday 10 January, including garden waste, will change to a revised schedule:

• There will be no collections on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day 
• Our crews will work on Saturdays during this period (28 December, 4 and 11 January)
• Garden waste collections will follow the same schedule
• Normal collections will resume from Monday 13 January

The revised collection schedule is available on our website. Residents are advised to put out their waste the night before to avoid being missed.

Libraries

Libraries in Wokingham, Lower Earley, Woodley and Twyford will close early at 3pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve and will be closed on bank holidays.

Finchampstead, Spencers Wood and Winnersh will be closed from Monday 23 December and re-open on Thursday 2 January, while the Arborfield and Wargrave libraries will be closed from Saturday 21 December and re-open on Monday 6 January.

During the rest of the festive period, libraries will be open during normal branch hours. Ebooks, newspapers, magazines and music streaming will be available via the council’s website. Further details on opening times and other library services can be found on the council’s website.