Council Christmas and New Year Opening Hours 2025

Residents are reminded of changes to Council services operating hours over the festive period.

Civic Offices

The Civic Offices in Bridge Street will be closed from 5pm on Wednesday, 24 December until 9am, Friday 2 January 2026.

The Customer Relations Team will be closed during the same period. The telephone line 01189 2905 will not be manned after 5pm on 24 December until 9am Friday 2 January 2026.

In an emergency only, members of the public can contact the Council on the out-of-hours number, 0118 937 3737.

For Corporate Complaints and MP Enquiries (not Statutory Complaints and Information Requests), 29, 30 & 31 December will not be considered as working days.

Adult Social Care

Adult Social Care Teams will operate an emergency duty service over Christmas to support vulnerable adults and carers who require urgent assistance.

• Urgent Support Only: Wednesday 24, Monday 29, Tuesday 30 & Wednesday 31 December (open from 9 am to 5pm). Call 0118 9373747
• Closed: 25 and 26 December and Thursday 1 January
• Out-of-Hours Service: For urgent support outside office hours (before 9 am and after 5 pm), or at weekends or bank holidays (which are 25, 26 and 1 January) call this number: 01344 351999

Normal service will be in place from 2 January 2026.

AskSARA if you need help at home

You can now find expert advice to help with daily living through an award-winning online self-help service called AskSARA. The site is full of practical solutions to help you stay independent in your own home.

There are equipment suggestions and an impartial list of where to obtain equipment, as well as information on local community support and wellbeing concerns, including help with preparing food, assistance with getting in and out of the bath, bed, or chair, remembering to take medication, and drinking enough water.

AskSARA may also recommend a Reading Adult Social Care Occupational Therapy Assessment.

AskSARA has great advice for older people and those living with a disability but is also for everyone to use. This means that not only can you use AskSARA yourself, but it can also be used by family and friends. It is completely anonymous.

Children's Social Care

Children's Social Care Teams will operate a continuous service over the festive break to respond to urgent children's safeguarding needs. Practitioners will be working remotely during dates when the Civic office is closed.

Typical service delivery will be in effect on Wednesday 24, Monday 29, Tuesday 30 & Wednesday 31 December (9am to 5pm). Call 0118 9373641.

Emergency Duty service will commence from 3pm on Wednesday 24 and Wednesday 31 December.

The service will be closed on 25 and 26 December and Thursday 1 January.

For urgent support outside office hours (before 9am and after 5 pm), or at weekends or bank holidays (which are 25, 26 and 1 January) call: 01344 351999.

Normal service will be in place from 2 January 2026.

Family Information Service/SEND Local Offer

Reading Family Information Service has information on the Reading Services Guide at: https://www.readingfis.org  for parent carers to easily find out about local services and support available throughout the Christmas holidays.

For information on SEND support www.readingsendlocaloffer.org . Family Information Service/SEND Local Offer will be closed from Wednesday 24 December 5pm and will reopen at 9am on Friday 2 January 2026.

Homelessness and Housing Advice

The Housing Homelessness Team will be operating an emergency-only duty service over Christmas to support residents who become homeless. We are still operating an emergency service on 29, 30 and 31 December for those homeless or at risk of homelessness. Please phone 01189 372165 or email housing.advice@reading.gov.uk.

If you are a victim of Domestic Abuse and in immediate danger, please call 999. You can also contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline for refuge accommodation on 0808 2000 247.  

If you become homeless and have nowhere to stay outside office hours (before 9 am and after 5 pm), on weekends or on bank holidays (which are 25 December, 26 December and 1 January) please call our out-of-hours Emergency Duty Service on 01344 351999.

Please note our out-of-hours service takes over our phone calls at 3pm on 24 December and 3pm on 31 December. 

Support for people sleeping rough
If you are sleeping rough, or are concerned about someone sleeping rough, report it at www.thestreetlink.org.uk so Reading’s Rough Sleeping Outreach Service (delivered by St Mungo’s) can offer support, housing, or reconnection. Find more details at www.reading.gov.uk/roughsleeping. For urgent situations, please see the guidance under Homelessness and Housing Advice.

Housing Repairs

The repairs team will operate as usual until 4pm on 24 December, after which it will switch to emergency services only. This will continue until 8am on 5 January 2026.

Bins, recycling, and Christmas Trees

As usual, bin collection days will change over the Christmas and New Year period:

Christmas Tree Recycling

Free recycling sites for Christmas trees will be popping up across the borough between 3 and 25 2026 January for residents to dispose of their trees safely.

Bring your tree along to one of the collection points:
- Mapledurham Playing Fields
- Clayfield Copse
- Hills Meadow
- Rivermead Leisure Complex
- Kensington Park
- Prospect Park
- Meadway Recreation Ground
- Tilehurst allotments, Armour Hill
- Palmer Park Leisure Centre and Stadium
- Whitley Wood Recreation Ground
- South Reading Leisure Centre

Trees can also be taken to the re3 recycling centre on Island Road.

Garden waste collections

Garden waste collections will be subject to their usual two-week Christmas pause from Wednesday 24 December, with collections resuming to schedule on Monday 5 January 2026.

Reading Libraries

All Reading Borough Libraries will be closed after Tuesday 23 December and will reopen with normal opening hours on Friday 2 January 2026.

No items will be due back during the time we are closed. A Drop Box will be available at Reading Central Library, but all other Drop Boxes will be closed.

Online library services, including eBooks, eAudio and eMagazines, are always available at: https://library.reading.gov.uk and: https://www.reading.gov.uk/leisure/libraries/elibrary/  

Reading Town Hall

Reading Town Hall will close from Wednesday 24 December 5pm, reopening on the 2 and 3 January 2026. It will then close to visitors from 5 January to 19 January 2026 for essential electrical works. During this time, ceremonies and tours at the Town Hall will not be available.

The main registration office will remain open for all enquiries and bookings. Ceremonies at other venues, including the statutory register office room at the Civic Centre, will continue as normal, and group and private citizenship ceremonies will also be held at the Civic Centre.

Reading Museum

Reading Museum and the Pantry Café are closed 25 December – 1 January inclusive. The Museum reopens on the 2 and 3 January 2026, but is then closed until 20 January due to town hall electrical works.

The Registration Service

The Registration Service will be open at the Civic Centre as normal until 4pm on Wednesday 24 December, and then by appointment only on Monday 29 to Wednesday 31 December. Appointments will be restricted to urgent matters only during this period; normal opening hours will resume on Friday 2 January 2026.

 Appointments to register births and deaths or to give notice of marriage or civil partnership, or to order replacement certificates can be made online at: http://www.reading.gov.uk/life-events. For all non-urgent enquiries, please email Register.Office@reading.gov.uk.

If you need to arrange a funeral quickly for religious reasons or arrange an urgent marriage or civil partnership, please call 0118 937 3533 during normal office hours.

Outside of these hours, please call 0118 937 3737 between 9am and 11am on 26, 28, and 29 December. Please note the Out of Hours Service will not be available on 25 December 2025, or 1 January 2026.

For urgent funerals, please do not call until the Medical Examiner or Coroner has confirmed that the paperwork has been sent to the Registrar.

Henley Road Cemetery and Crematorium office and chapels

The cemetery grounds will be open every day from 9am to 5pm, however, the office and chapels will be open for cremation and burial services as follows:

24 December: The last Service time is 1.45pm in the South chapel, 1.30pm in the West chapel. The last burial service is 1.30pm, and the Cemetery Office will close at 3pm.

The Cemetery Office will be closed on 25 and 26 December, with Saturday operating hours in effect on 27 December. Normal operating hours apply on 29 and 30 December.

31 December: The last service time is 1.45pm in the South chapel, 1.30pm the West chapel. The last burial service is 1.30pm. The Cemetery Office will close again at 3pm, until 2 January 2026.

The Royal Berkshire Archives

The RBA will be closed from Wednesday 24th December 2025 to Thursday 1st January 2026, inclusive, for Christmas and New Year. Enquiries will not be responded to during this time. The service will reopen on Friday 2nd January.  If you plan to visit on Friday 2nd January 2026, please aim to book by Friday 19th December 2025 at the latest.

Leisure centres

Active Reading

Reading Educational Play and Support will close from 19 December through to 5 January 2026, for pupil play referral support. (Short breaks will be running on 29 December).

The Prospect Park Ranger Station public activities opening hours over Christmas (for the public to access facilities), offering mini golf in the park, low ropes for under 7-year-olds and sports courts:

ENDS