Changes to Chelmsford City Council’s services over the 2024 festive period

Over the Christmas and New Year period, there will be some changes to the availability and opening times of Chelmsford City Council’s services. On 24 December, the main Civic Centre will be shut, but the phone lines will still be open from 8.45am to 2.30pm.

The main offices and customer service phone line will then be closed over the festive period and will reopen for normal business on Thursday 2 January 2025.

Find out more about the council’s opening hours on our website: https://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/your-council/contacting-us/opening-hours.

Residents wishing to access Council Tax services via their online account will be able to do so 24-hours a day over Christmas. This is the place to set up a direct debit quickly and easily, check your Council Tax account details or tell us about any change of address. Benefit recipients can also view their entitlement, check correspondence and the income on a claim through their online account.

Changes to waste and recycling collections

There are changes to the bin collection days over the Christmas and New Year period owing to the bank holidays. Make sure to check your printed calendar or look online for your new collection days: https://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/bins-and-recycling/check-your-collection-day.

There will be no scheduled collections on Wednesday 25 December, Thursday 26 December 2024 or Wednesday 1 January 2025. There will be three catch-up Saturday collections instead. There will be a knock-on effect to the other collection days so make sure to check before putting your bins out.

As gift and food packaging is bound to be in plentiful supply over the festive period, don’t forget to also check what you can put in each of your bins and recycling sacks. As a reminder:

• Put in your paper sack: Wrapping paper that is not foil-based or glittery, white envelopes.
• Put in your card sack: Christmas and birthday cards (not glittery), brown envelopes, brown paper, cardboard packaging
• Put in your black bin: polystyrene (do not leave it inside cardboard packaging being recycled, and do not put polystyrene in the plastics recycling), gift bows and ribbons

Check what goes in each bin here: https://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/bins-and-recycling/what-goes-in-each-bin.

If you're taking items to a recycling centre, find information about Essex County Council’s Chelmsford Recycling Centre opening times and what items are accepted.

Recycle your Christmas tree

If you are looking to recycle your real Christmas tree following the festive period, sign up for Farleigh Hospice’s Christmas Tree Recycling by 4pm Wednesday 8 January. They will be collecting trees on 10, 11 and 12 January 2025.

You can also put real Christmas trees in your brown bin for collection, cut into manageable chunks (branches must be less than 30mm in diameter).

Chelmsford City Sports Venues' Christmas opening hours

The sports venues operated by Chelmsford City Council, including Riverside, Chelmsford Sport and Athletics Centre, South Woodham Ferrers Leisure Centre and Dovedale, will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Please check the opening days and times of all facilities and centres before visiting as there will be additional reduced hours or closures: www.chelmsford.gov.uk/leisure-centres/opening-hours.

Riverside's Christmas opening hours

Chelmsford Sport & Athletic Centre's Christmas opening hours

South Woodham Ferrers Leisure Centre's Christmas opening hours

Dovedale's Christmas opening hours

Chelmsford Museum Christmas opening times

The Museum will be closed on 25 and 26 December 2024, and 1 January 2025.

On 24 and 31 December the opening hours are 10am to 3pm.

Check the Museum's opening hours before you visit.

Support services available over the festive period

Domestic Abuse support

Contact Essex Compass for help with domestic abuse. They offer a partnership of domestic abuse services providing a response in Essex. Call the helpline on 0330 333 7 444 or visit the website for more information: https://www.essexcompass.org.uk. The helpline is available from 8am to 8pm weekdays and 8am to 1pm weekends. If someone is in immediate danger always call 999.

Alternatively, you can reach out to the National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 24/7. They are available 24 hours a day, and offer support to women experiencing domestic abuse. Calls are confidential, and they also offer a translation service and a service for people with hearing difficulties.

The Men's Advice Line offers help and advice to men experiencing domestic abuse. You can call them on 0808 801 0327.

Homelessness services

If you are concerned about someone who you think is rough sleeping, you can send an alert to StreetLink.

If you are currently homeless or threatened with homelessness and need advice and support, you can make a self-referral.

If your situation is an out of hours homeless emergency, you can call 01245 606606.

Warm spaces

With the weather turning colder, some of us will be looking for warm and welcoming spaces to visit this winter. Street Support Chelmsford has a list of welcoming spaces across the district that are either free or low-cost local places to keep warm. There are options available right through the week, with some places like Chelmsford Library and Sanctus Homeless Charity open Monday to Sunday.

Please note, Chelmsford Library will be closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. Sanctus will be open as usual over the festive period, including on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

Mental health services

If you need help for a mental health crisis or emergency, you should get immediate expert advice and assessment. Get help from 111 online or call 111 and select the mental health option. If someone’s life is at risk, or you do not feel you can keep yourself or someone else safe, please call 999 immediately or go to A&E. A mental health emergency should be taken as seriously as a physical one. You will not be wasting anyone's time.

There are services available offering confidential support from trained volunteers. You can talk about anything that's troubling you, no matter how difficult:

• Call 116 123 to talk to Samaritans, or email: jo@samaritans.org for a reply within 24 hours
• Text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line, or text "YM" if you're under 19

If you're under 19, you can also call 0800 1111 to talk to Childline. The number will not appear on your phone bill.

These services will only share your information if they are very worried about you or think you are in immediate danger.

Chelmsford Citizens Advice

Chelmsford Citizens Advice is a great starting point if you need help. Citizens Advice aims to give people knowledge and confidence by providing practical advice on a whole number of topics. Advice can be delivered over the phone, and in person, for free. Visit https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk or https://chelmsfordcab.org to find out more. 

Chelmsford Citizens Advice will be closed from 12pm on Tuesday 24 December 2024 and will reopen at 9am on Thursday 2 January 2025.