Christmas and New Year - council services and support
Wirral Council has confirmed details of festive opening hours for key services.
Some council areas will shut down, with others offering limited opening hours, over the festive period meaning that some services will be unavailable at that time.
Many services can still be requested through the council website, but may not receive attention until Tuesday 2 January 2024.
Details of opening hours for various services, attractions and more are outlined below:
Adult social services
Adult Social Care operates through the Christmas period. If you require support or have an urgent need relating to Adult Social Care in Wirral between 9am and 5pm on 27, 28 or 29 December, please contact the Central Advice and Duty Team on 0151 514 2222 and press option 3. If you are calling after 5pm, or on any of the days not listed above, and if your enquiry is urgent, please contact the Emergency Duty Team on 0151 677 6557.
Bin collections
If your green and grey bin day is Monday or Tuesday, there are some day changes to be aware of this Christmas and New Year.
- Christmas Day is on Monday 25 December – bins due then will instead be collected on Saturday 23 December
- Boxing Day is Tuesday 26 December – those bins will instead be collected on Christmas Eve (Sunday 24 December)
- New Year’s Day is Mon 1 January 2024. Those bins will instead be collected on Saturday 30 December 2023
- Brown bin collections will pause from 23 December and restart on 16 January 2024
Family Hubs and Children Centres
Childrens Centres and Family Hubs will close on Friday 22 December and will re-open on Tuesday 2 January 2024, with the exception of Seacombe Family Hub which will be open 9am-5pm on Wednesday 27, Thursday 28 and Friday 29 December.
Children's Services
If you’re worried about a child over Christmas and New Year, call the Integrated Front Door on 0151 606 2008 and select option 2, open 9am to 5pm excluding weekends and bank holidays. Out of hours, you can call the Emergency Duty Team on 0151 677 6557. If a child, or anyone else, is at risk of immediate harm, dial 999.
Council Tax and Housing Benefit support
Call centre and switchboard lines (606 2004 and 606 2000) will close at 5pm on Friday 22 December and reopen at 9am on Tuesday 2 January 2024. Recorded messages will be added to the lines.
The One Stop helpline will close at 5pm on Friday 22 December (606 2005) and re-open 10am to 4pm on 27, 28 and 29 December for assistance with access to emergency financial support, food and fuel only. Recorded messages will be added to the line. The line will reopen fully at 9am on Tuesday 2 January 2024.
Crime and safety
Report any crimes or suspicious behaviour via @MerPolCC, 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency always call 999.
Culture
Williamson Art Gallery and Museum
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Closed from Saturday 23 December. Reopens Wednesday 10 January 2024
Birkenhead Priory
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The Priory will close on Sunday 24 December and reopen on Wednesday 31 January 2024
The Floral Pavilion
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Floral Pavilion Theatre is closed on 25 December and 1 January 2024
- Floral Café – On 24 December and 31 December, the café will close after the matinee interval
- Floral Box Office – On 24 December and 31 December, the Box Office will close 15 minutes after the start of the matinee show
Courtyard Café, Royden Park
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Closed on 25 and 26 December and 1 January 2024
The Box @ Leasowe playing fields
- Closed weekends of 23 and 24 December and 30 and 31 December. Reopens weekend beginning 6 January 2024
Domestic abuse and family support
Help is available for anyone experiencing domestic abuse or family issues over Christmas and New Year.
Details of the support on offer locally can be found at the #ItsNeverOk website
Gritting and winter services
Gritting teams will be on standby 24/7 every day until Spring 2024, including over the festive period.
Highways and street services
Please call 0151 647 7810 to report an out-of-hours emergency relating to:
- trees
- road and pavement maintenance and repairs
- road signs
- traffic management
- traffic signal faults
- fly tipping
- highway drainage and flooding
- dangerous buildings and structures
Homeless and Housing
The Housing Options Team will be operating an emergency-only triage service between 27 December and 29 December. This service will operate from 9am to 5pm.
Outside of these times/dates and during weekends and public holidays, in an emergency situation, where a household has nowhere safe to stay that night, they should contact the Emergency Duty Team on 0151 677 6557.
If you need housing advice and it isn’t urgent you can make a self-referral to the Housing Options Team via the Wirral Council website
If you, or anyone you know, sees someone who is sleeping rough then time is of the essence. Please make a referral via rsiteam@birkenheadymca.co.uk or 07821 125119 as soon as possible. This will ensure Wirral’s local outreach team will be able to respond and send staff to engage with the person and offer appropriate support.
Leisure
Invigor8 leisure centres
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Closed 25 and 26 December and 1 January 2024
- Closes at 4pm (last admittance 3.30pm) on 24 and 31 December
- Open as normal 27 to 30 December – 7am-9.30pm (7am-8pm Saturday 30 December)
Municipal golf courses
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Closed 25 and 26 December and 1 January 2024
- Open 8am-3pm on 24 and 31 December
- Open 9am-1pm on 27, 28 and 29 December, 8am-3pm on 30 December
Wirral Watersports Centre
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Closed 25 and 26 December and 1 January 2024
- Open as normal 27 to 30 December – 10am-4pm
Libraries
All Wirral libraries will be open as normal on Saturday 23 December, then will be closed until Tuesday 2 January 2024.
Even while libraries are closed there is a great selection of e-books, e-audio, e-magazines and e-newspapers to access over the holiday period.
You will need an active borrower number and pin to access, if you don’t already have a membership pop into any Wirral Library or join online. Online membership will generate a temporary membership number and pin for three weeks to enable access to e-books, e-audio and e-newspaper services.
Birkenhead Market
Birkenhead Market will be open on Sunday 24 December from 10am to 4pm. It will also be open 27 to 30 December from 9am to 5pm. The market will reopen for 2024 from 9am on Tuesday 2 January.
Registrars
The Registrar service is closed on 25 and 26 December and 1 January 2024. It will be open from 27-29 December, 9am-4pm, for death registrations only. Other days, it is open as normal.
Archives
Wirral Archives Service will close at 4.30pm on Friday 22 December and will re-open at 10am on Tuesday 2 January 2024.
Social media
The council’s social media accounts will not be routinely monitored over the festive period. You might see some key messages posted on those channels, most of which will have been pre-scheduled, but there will be no-one online to reply to queries. The best place to report issues is the Wirral Council website.
Wirral Infobank
The Wirral Infobank website provides lots of information about the support available in communities across Wirral.
