Wakefield Council Christmas opening hours

17/12/2019, PR-9253

All non-essential Council services will be closed from 5pm on Christmas Eve and re-open on 2 January while essential services will vary their opening times over the festive period.

Wakefield city centre

Plans are also in place to ensure the roads are gritted and kept clear, should the wintry weather take a turn for the worse, and staff are on standby in the event of an emergency.

Staff will be working throughout the holiday to ensure our residents, who need care at home, in residential care or children’s social work, are supported over the holiday season.

Andrew Balchin, Corporate Director for Adults, Health and Communities at Wakefield Council, said: “As in previous years, we will have staff available in the event of any emergencies or severe weather who can be contacted 24/7 through customer services. Wishing everyone a merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year.”

Here is a handy reference guide of the operating times and dates.

Town Hall, County Hall and Wakefield One

Closed from 5pm Christmas Eve and reopen 9am on 2 January.

Bin Collections

  • Each household will have received an updated collection calendar for the festive period and 2020. If you’re still uncertain, check the Where I Live page.
  • Household Waste Recycling Centres are open as normal over the festive period, except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, when they will be closed. All our Bring Sites will be available over the festive period too.

Libraries, Museums & Pontefract Castle

All libraries, museums and Pontefract Castle closed from 4pm on 24 December, however, the café and visitor centre at the castle will close from 23 December.

Leisure Facilities

  • Pugneys Country Park:
    • Water sports centre and café - closed 25 and 26 December and 1 January only.
    • Car park and park - open as usual.
  • City of Wakefield Golf Club - closed Christmas Day. Opening hours will be different 27 December to 1 January.
  • Sun Lane Leisure Centre and Minsthorpe Leisure Centre – closed from 12noon on Christmas Eve. They re-open on Friday 27 December until Tuesday 31 December with different operating hours. They will be closed again on New Year’s Day before fully re-opening on 2 January.
  • Normanton, Featherstone, Thornes Stadium and Pontefract Pool – closed from 12pm on Christmas Eve and reopen 2 January.

Bereavement Services

  • Closing at 3pm on Christmas Eve. Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
  • Wakefield and Pontefract Crematoria closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day but the grounds and Chapel of Remembrance will remain open.

Registration Services

  • Closes at 3pm on Christmas Eve and will also be closed on Sunday 29th December, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
  • Closes at 3pm on New Year’s Eve and will be closed on New Year’s Day.
  • An on-call team is available between 9am-10am for emergency burials on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
  • Normal working hours apply for all other dates.

Markets

  • All our market sites will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
  • There will be extra markets throughout December.

Customer Services

Telephone lines remain open 24 hours daily on 0345 8506 506. We would encourage residents to report non-urgent matters via My Account at https://myaccount.wakefield.gov.uk/

Social Care Direct

Remain available 24 hours daily on 0345 8 503 503.

All services fully open from Thursday 2 January 2020.

ENDS