Council Christmas Opening Hours 2024
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 to the public from 4pm on Tuesday, 24 December 2024, and will reopen at 9am on Thursday, 2 January 2025. The Call Centre will also be closed during the same period. In an emergency only, members of the public can contact the Council on the out-of-hours number, 0118 937 3737.
Brighter Futures for Children
Brighter Futures for Children (BFfC), which provides children’s social care, early help, and education services in Reading, will run a reduced service over Christmas. To support children, young people and their families who require urgent assistance, essential services will operate as follows:
- Urgent Support Only: 0118 937 3641 (Option 1)
- Closed: 25, 26 December, and 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 (25, 26 and 1 January), call 01344 351999
All BFfC services will resume on Thursday 2 January 2025. Visit www.brighterfuturesforchildren.org for more information.
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: Tuesday 24, Friday 27, Monday 30 and Tuesday 31 December (open from 9 am to 5pm). Call 0118 9373747
- Closed: 25 and 26 December and Wednesday 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 2024.
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. Family Information Service/ SEND Local Offer will be closed from Tuesday 24 December, 4pm, and will reopen on Thursday 2 January 2025.
Homelessness and Housing Advice
Homelessness and Housing Advice
The Housing Homelessness Team will be operating an emergency-only duty service over Christmas to support residents who become homeless. In an emergency between 9am - 5pm on Friday 27, Monday 30, and Tuesday 31 December 2024 you can call 0118 9372165 where a message should be left with your contact details, and officers will be regularly checking calling back those who require urgent assistance.
For weekends, bank holidays and out-of-hours emergencies between 5pm and 9am please get in touch with the out-of-hours Emergency Service on 01344 351999. Please note, the out-of-hours service starts at 3pm on Tuesday 24 December.
Housing Repairs
The Housing Repairs and Maintenance service will be operating an emergency out-of-hours service for Council housing properties from 4pm on 24 December 2024, until 9am Thursday 2 January 2025 on 01189 373737.
The service continues to experience a higher-than-usual demand for heating and plumbing maintenance, extra engineers have been arranged and are prioritising the most vulnerable of our residents.
Bins, Recycling, and Christmas Trees
The Recycling Centre on Island Road will be shut on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
Plan ahead and book your visit on other days using the Click&Tip service: https://re3.fccenvironment.co.uk/click-tip-services/.
Remember you can now cancel your slot up to 3 hours ahead of your visit, so your slot can be taken by someone else.
As usual, bin collection days will change over the Christmas and New Year period:
Collection Day: Changes to:
Mon 23 Dec Stays the same
Tue 24 Dec Stays the same
Wed 25 Dec Fri 27 Dec
Thu 26 Dec Sat 28 Dec
Fri 27 Dec Mon 30 Dec
Mon 30 Dec Tue 31 Dec
Tue 31 Dec Thu 2 Jan
Wed 1 Jan Fri 3 Jan
Thu 2 Jan Sat 4 Jan
Fri 3 Jan Mon 6 Jan
Mon 6 Jan Tue 7 Jan
Tue 7 Jan Wed 8 Jan
Wed 8 Jan Thu 9 Jan
Thu 9 Jan Fri 10 Jan
Fri 10 Jan Sat 11 Jan
Mon 13 Jan Back to normal
Garden waste collections
Garden waste collections will be subject to their usual two-week Christmas pause from Friday 20 December, with collections resuming to schedule on Monday 6 January 2025.
Bulky waste collections
Bulky waste collections will be paused from Tuesday 24 December until Monday 6 January 2025.
Reading Libraries
Reading’s libraries will operate normal opening hours up to and including Monday 23rd December.
On Tuesday 24 December, Caversham, Palmer Park, Southcote, Tilehurst and Whitley libraries are open 9am – midday. Central Library is open 10am to noon. Battle library is closed.
All libraries will be closed from noon on 24 December until 1 January 2025 inclusive, reopening as normal from Thursday 2anuary. All Library Drop Boxes, except Reading Central's, will also close for this period. No items will be due back, and no fines will be charged.
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 Museum
The Museum and Shop will be open as normal until 5pm on Saturday 21 December 2024, the Pantry cafe will close at 4pm on Friday 20 December. The Museum, Shop and Pantry Cafe will then remain closed until 10am on Thursday 2 January 2025.
The Registration Service
The Registration Service will be open at the Civic Offices as normal until 4pm on Tuesday 24 December, and then by appointment only on Friday 27, Monday 30, and Tuesday 31 December 2024. Appointments will be restricted to urgent matters only during this period, normal opening hours will resume on Thursday 2 January 2025.
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 urgent 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 12 noon on 26, 28, and 29 December. Please note the Out of Hours Service will not be available on 1 January 2025.
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 12.15pm in the South chapel, 12pm 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 normal operating hours on 27, 28 and 30 December.
31 December: The last service time is 12.15pm in the South chapel, midday 2n the West chapel. The last burial service is 1.30pm. Cemetery Office will close again at 3pm, until 2 January 2025.
The Royal Berkshire Archives
The Archives will be closed from 24 December 2024 to 1 January 2025 inclusive, and will not be able to process enquiries during this time. It will reopen at 9am on 2 January 2025.
If you plan to visit on 2 or 3 January 2025, please book online by Friday 20 December 2024 at the latest: https://www.royalberkshirearchives.org.uk/contact-us.
Leisure centres
|
Day |
Date |
Rivermead |
Palmer Park |
Meadway |
South Reading |
|
Wednesday |
18 Dec |
Normal |
Normal |
Normal |
Normal |
|
Thursday |
19 Dec |
Normal |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
|
Friday |
20 Dec |
Normal |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
|
Saturday |
21 Dec |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
|
Sunday |
22 Dec |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
|
Monday |
23 Dec |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
|
Tuesday |
24 Dec |
08:00 - 14:00 |
08:00 - 14:00 |
08:00 - 14:00 |
08:00 - 14:00 |
|
Wednesday |
25 Dec |
CLOSED |
CLOSED |
CLOSED |
CLOSED |
|
Thursday |
26 Dec |
CLOSED |
CLOSED |
CLOSED |
CLOSED |
|
Friday |
27 Dec |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
|
Saturday |
28 Dec |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
|
Sunday |
29 Dec |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
|
Monday |
30 Dec |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
08:00 - 18:00 |
|
Tuesday |
31 Dec |
08:00 - 14:00 |
08:00 - 14:00 |
08:00 - 14:00 |
08:00 - 14:00 |
|
Wednesday |
1 Jan |
CLOSED |
CLOSED |
CLOSED |
CLOSED |
|
Thursday |
2 Jan |
Normal |
Normal |
Normal |
Normal |
|
Friday |
3 Jan |
Normal |
Normal |
Normal |
Normal |
Active Reading
Reading Educational Play and Support will close from 21 December, through to 1 January 2025.
The Prospect Park Ranger Station public activities opening hours over Christmas (for public to access facilities), offering mini golf in the park, low ropes for under 7-year-olds and sports courts:
|
Day |
Date |
Ranger Station (public activity hours) |
3G Football |
|
Wednesday |
18 Dec |
Normal |
Normal |
|
Thursday |
19 Dec |
Normal |
Normal |
|
Friday |
20 Dec |
Normal |
Normal |
|
Saturday |
21 Dec |
Normal |
Normal |
|
Sunday |
22 Dec |
Normal |
Normal |
|
Monday |
23 Dec |
Normal |
Normal |
|
Tuesday |
24 Dec |
10:00 - 14:00 |
CLOSED |
|
Wednesday |
25 Dec |
CLOSED |
CLOSED |
|
Thursday |
26 Dec |
CLOSED |
CLOSED |
|
Friday |
27 Dec |
CLOSED |
CLOSED |
|
Saturday |
28 Dec |
10:00 - 18:00 |
CLOSED |
|
Sunday |
29 Dec |
10:00 - 18:00 |
CLOSED |
|
Monday |
30 Dec |
10:00 - 18:00 |
CLOSED |
|
Tuesday |
31 Dec |
08:00 - 14:00 |
CLOSED |
|
Wednesday |
1 Jan |
CLOSED |
CLOSED |
|
Thursday |
2 Jan |
Normal |
Normal |
|
Friday |
3 Jan |
Normal |
Normal |
Parking Services (PCNs & Permits)
Parking Services will operate until 4pm on 24 December, phone lines will then close until Thursday 2 January. To contact the team urgently between these dates visit: https://www.reading.gov.uk/vehicles-roads-and-transport/parking/contact-parking-services/.
ENDS