DETAILS OF restricted services over Christmas and the New Year have been announced by Oldham Council.
Many of the public services and facilities run by the local authority and its partners will be scaled down during the holiday period.
There will be no waste collections on Thursday and Friday, December 25 and 26 and Thursday, January 1.
Alternate waste collections for all affected households have been arranged for December 20 and 27 and January 3.
Households will receive leaflets with all the relevant information about any changes but Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday collections will be unaffected.
Waste and recycling can also be taken to Arkwright Street Household Waste and Recycling Centre, Oldham, OL9 9LZ or your nearest facility. The centres are closed on December 25 and January 1.
Also, Council staff are taking four days out of their annual leave entitlement allowance (December 29, 30, 31 and January 2).
Councillor Abdul Jabbar, Cabinet Member for Finance and Human Resources and, said: “We’ve operated a Christmas closure scheme for years and it has proved successful.
“Traditionally this is a very quiet time for the core services we provide, so residents have been relatively unaffected.
“We have planned this year’s closure thoroughly and all our staff have been notified they need to take four days’ leave from their normal annual entitlement.
“It’s important people are aware that many of our usual services are shut and that they should only contact us if they have a genuine need to.
“This shut down makes good, sound economic sense for council tax payers, as we save money by shutting down our heating systems in council buildings, for example.
“I would like to reassure residents that if they have an urgent need there will be staff and resources available to cope and provide assistance.”
He added: “Finally, I would like to wish everyone a happy Christmas and New Year.”
Further details can be viewed on Oldham Council’s website.
