Important information about council services over the Christmas and New Year break

This in from the council, in their own words, Ed

Most of the Isle of Wight Council’s operations will remain open until 4pm on Tuesday 24 December.

After closing for the Christmas/new year period they will then reopen on Thursday 2 January. There will, however, be special arrangements for certain services.

Please find below information for services:

Adult Social Care
Offices close 4pm, Tuesday 24 December and reopen 8am, Thursday 2 January.

Adult social care will be providing a duty service for adult social care and safeguarding emergencies on 27, 30 and 31 December between 9am and 5pm, tel: 814980. The hospital social work team (adult services) will operate on a duty service basis on the same days, tel: 534227. Outside of these times urgent calls should be directed to Wightcare, tel: 821105.

Children’s Services
Offices close to the public at 4pm Tuesday 24 December and reopen Thursday 2 January.

On 27, 30 and 31 Dec (during office hours), tel: 0845 650 0097 for children’s services matters. Outside of these times urgent calls should be directed to Wightcare, tel: 821105.

If you are worried about the safety of a child, please call 0845 650 0097.

Early Help Services Christmas arrangements can be found under direct at www.iwight.com/azservices/documents/2750-Early-Help-Service.pdf

Coroner’s Office
The Coroner’s office closes at 2pm on Tuesday 24 December. The office is closed on Friday 27 December, however it will be taking referrals from the police, the hospital and GPs. It is open as normal on Monday 30 December and Tuesday 31 December, closed on Wednesday 1 January and open as normal on Thursday 2 January.

Council Buildings or Land
For emergencies involving council-owned buildings, please contact Wightcare, tel: 821105.

Crematorium
The Book of Remembrance and Gardens of Remembrance are open during the following hours over the Christmas period:

Monday 23 December 9am to 5pm
Tuesday 24 December 9am to 5pm
Christmas Day 2pm to 4pm
Boxing Day 2pm to 4pm
Friday 27 December 9pm to 5pm
Saturday 28 December 12pm to 4pm
Sunday 29 December 12pm to 4pm
Monday 30 December 9am to 5pm
Tuesday 31 December 9am to 5pm
New Year’s Day 2pm to 4pm
Thursday 2 January 9am to 5pm
Friday 3 January 9am to 5pm

All cremation papers and burial forms should be delivered to the crematorium at least two clear working days prior to each cremation or burial.

Help Centres at Newport, Ryde, Sandown, Freshwater
Newport, Ryde and Freshwater Isle of Wight Council Help Centre offices) close at 4pm on Tuesday 24 December (Sandown Help Centre is closed every Tuesday as normal).

County Hall, Newport and Sandown Help Centre reopen at 8.30am on Thursday 2 January.

The Help Centre in Ryde Library reopens at 9am on Friday 3 January and Freshwater Help Centre reopens at 9.30am on Tuesday 7 January.

Highways emergencies
For flooding, fallen trees, traffic lights not working and other highways matters, residents should contact Island Roads on tel: 822440 or visit the website www.islandroads.com

Housing
On-call arrangements for emergencies via Wightcare, tel: 821105.

Leisure Service Facilities
The Heights Leisure Centre in Sandown, Medina Leisure Centre and Medina Theatre in Newport and Westridge Squash and Tone Zone in Ryde will all have seasonally adjusted opening hours over the Christmas and new year holiday between Saturday 21 December and Thursday 2 January.

Full details of opening times will be available in all centres or to download from www.iwight.com/leisure or by calling the venues direct: The Heights, tel: 405594, Medina Leisure Centre, tel: 523767, Medina Theatre, tel: 527020, Westridge Squash and Tone Zone, tel: 823883.

Libraries
Cowes Library
Closes 4pm, 24 December Reopens 10am, Friday 3 January

Freshwater Library
Closes 4pm, 24 December Reopens 9.30am, Friday 3 January

Newport Library
Closes 4pm, 24 December Reopens 11am, Thursday 2 January

Ryde Library
Closes 4pm, 24 December Reopens 9am, Friday 3 January

Sandown Library
Closes 4pm, 24 December Reopens 9am, Thursday 2 January

Ventnor Library
Closes 4pm, 24 December Reopens 9.30am, Friday 3 January

The Mobile Library is operating the following schedules over the Christmas period:-

Friday 20 December: Route C
Monday 23 December: Route A
Tuesday 24 December: Route B
Thursday 2 January: Route D
Friday 3 January: Route E

For route details, please see http://www.iwight.com/azservices/documents/1455-Mobile-Routes-v3.pdf.

Public Health
There is a range of information about on the council’s website Iwight.com, search for public health living well.

Pharmacy opening times:

Christmas Day
Lloyds Pharmacy, Carisbrooke Road, Newport: Open 2pm to 4pm
Gibbs and Gurnell, Union Street, Ryde: Open 2pm to 3pm
Regent Pharmacy, Regent Street, Shanklin: Open 12pm to 1pm
Kemkay Chemist, Avenue Road, Shanklin: Open 2.30pm to 3.30pm

Boxing Day
Boots the Chemist, High Street, Newport: Open 9am to 5pm
Lloyds Pharmacy, Pyle Street, Newport: Open 2pm to 3pm
Sainsbury’s Pharmacy, Foxes Road, Newport: Open 10am to 5pm
Boots the Chemist, High Street, Ryde: Open 10am to 4pm

New Year’s Day
Boots the Chemist, High Street, Newport: Open 10am to 4pm
Sainsbury’s Pharmacy, Foxes Road, Newport: Open 10am to 5pm

Register Office
The Register office closes at 4pm Tuesday 24 December. It is open Friday 27 December, Monday 30 December and Tuesday 31 December from 9am to 4pm (by appointment only). It reopens as normal on Thursday 2 January 2014.

To register a death between 24 December and 2 January, please telephone 823233.

Revenues, Benefits, Local Assistance Scheme, Parking Services, Blue Badges and Customer Account Services
The service closes at 4pm, Tuesday 24 December and reopen at 8.30am on Thursday 2 January. Online applications remain available for council tax/housing benefit and Blue Badges.

Automated payment system available 24 hours a day, tel: 0207 138 1970 or pay online at www.iwight.com – follow the ‘Residents – do it online’ link on the home page.

Christmas housing benefit payment arrangements – please click on this link: www.iwight.com/Residents/Benefits-Council-Tax-and-Business-Rates/Benefits-General-Enquiries/About-Housing-Benefit

Local Assistance Scheme – a limited emergency service will be operated on 27, 30 and 31 December between 10am to 4pm. This limited service will only consider support for priority emergency applications, where alternative support is not available. All non priority applications will be considered when the office reopens on 2 January 2014.

More information about the scheme and to make an application go to: www.iwight.com/las.

Waste collection and recycling
There will be some changes to refuse collections over Christmas this year, primarily between Monday 23 and Friday 27 December.

Changes will also be in place between Wednesday 1 and Friday 3 January. For some households, their collections may be one or two days earlier, and for others it may be a day later.

Below are full details of the changes:

Waste collections will resume as normal from Monday 6 January.

Arrangements during snow
If it should snow (or there is snow cover from a previous day) on your refuse/ recycling collection day, your refuse will not be collected until your next usual day for recycling and residual waste, or the following week for food waste – assuming that the snow has cleared by this time.

If your collection is disrupted by snow, please remove your rubbish from the kerbside and put it back within your property. Please refer to the collection arrangements and place the appropriate waste/recycling kerbside by 7am the following week.

Information will be available to update you on the service from the websites (see
below), Facebook, Twitter and local radio.

Christmas tree recycling
Christmas tree skips will also be available in the following locations between Saturday 4 January until Sunday 12 January. Any trees collected in the skips are chipped and used for green projects. Artificial trees cannot be recycled and should not be included at these sites. People should not leave Christmas trees in car parks that do not have tree skips.

Brighstone village car park.
East Cowes Esplanade car park.
Lake, New Road car park.
Ryde, Waltzing Waters car park.
Somerton, park and ride.
Ventnor Botanic Garden car park.

Christmas trees can also be placed with garden waste at all household waste recycling centres. These can be found at Lynnbottom near Newport, Forest Road in Newport and Afton in Freshwater.

People should hold on to their Christmas cards and recycle them in their wheelie bins.

Household waste recycling centres
Throughout the festive period, the civic amenity site at Lynnbottom will be open as usual from 7am to 7pm apart from Christmas Day when it is closed all day.

Forest Road household waste recycling centre will be open every Sunday in December between 9.30am and 4.30pm but will be closed every Saturday. Afton household waste recycling centre will be open every Saturday and Sunday between 9.30am and 4.30pm. Both sites are closed on weekdays as normal.

More information on waste collections can be found by logging on to www.iwight.com/waste.

Image: jonny2love under CC BY 2.0