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Restricted services will be in place during Christmas and New Year as most Sefton Council staff are required to take unpaid leave.

Like previous years, residents can still access a range of information and transactions via the council website – sefton.gov.uk.

This includes checking bin collections, applying for licences, reporting environmental issues or paying Council Tax and business rates.

Because of the unpaid leave to be taken on December 24, 27, 30 and 31, most council buildings will be closed.

Services that will continue to operate include critical social care services for adults and children, a limited street cleaning service, Registrars, domestic and commercial waste collections and urgent highways issues, including gritting.

Residents are also being encouraged to recycle as much waste as possible and use the household waste recycling centres across the borough.

Similar to other years, the green wheelie bin collection for garden waste has now been suspended and will return in March 2020.

Some Sefton Council-run leisure centres will be open at varying times during these dates and users are advised to check sefton.gov.uk for opening times.

A list of social care emergency phone numbers is attached below (see below).

A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: “Over the course of the financial year, our hard-working staff have their pay reduced in order to take four days unpaid leave.

“Other savings from the closure period come from the reduced need for heating, lighting and running buildings, equipment and vehicles. 

“While reduced services are being operated, we will still maintain key services for some of the most vulnerable residents in our communities.

To access a range of service and transactions online, visit sefton.gov.uk. An automated phone service will be in place between December 24, 2019 and January 1, 2020 (inclusive) on 0345 140 0845 and most service requests will only be actioned beyond January.

Emergency contacts on December 24, 27, 30, and 31 between 9.00am-5.30pm:

Children’s Social Care: 0151 934 3114
Adult Social Care: 01704 704389 (North)
Adult Social Care: 0151 529 3761 (South)

For Social Care emergencies at all other times call the Emergency Duty Team 0151 934 3555

Refuse and recycling collections in Sefton will continue over Christmas and the New Year for residents across the borough, with minor alterations to collection dates.

Sefton’s collection crews will be observing the usual Christmas Day & Boxing Day bank holiday on Wednesday 25 & Thursday, December 26 meaning that there will be a slight change to regular bin collection days.

These collections will be Friday 27 December & Saturday 28 December 2019.

For Friday collections please present your wheeled bin for collection on Monday December 30.

For the week commending December 30, Tuesday’s collection will take place as normal, while the remainder of the week’s schedule will be collected one day later in line with the New Year’s Day bank holiday.

Refuse collection staff will be working Saturday January 4 to ensure all collections are undertaken that week.

Normal service will resume from Monday, January 6, 2020.

Separate arrangements for trade waste collections over Christmas and the New Year will be made and businesses affected will be contacted directly by Sefton Council.

Similar to other years, the green wheelie bin collection for garden waste will be suspended from the end of November 2019 until March 2020.

Residents are also reminded of their rubbish responsibilities when disposing of waste at recycling centres over the festive period.

Any rubbish left on the highway outside a recycling centre is considered fly-tipping and offenders can face substantial fines.

To check collection arrangements or for further information on all waste and recycling services, visit www.sefton.gov.uk/bins or follow us on Twitter @seftoncouncil.