North Yorkshire Council has given an update on changes to its services over the festive period.
Customer service centres will close to routine queries from 5pm on Tuesday, 24 December, until 9am on Thursday, 2 January.
However, they will be open to services where an emergency response is required, including social care, housing and homelessness, registrars, trading standards and highways.
There will be changes to waste and recycling dates due to the bank holidays on 25 and 26 December and 1 January. (See bin collection details.)
Paper and cardboard can be recycled at the kerbside or a Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC), and residents should compact boxes as much as possible.
Only non-foil wrapping paper will be accepted, and glass, tins, cans and most plastics can be recycled at the kerbside.
Anybody with a real Christmas tree can take it to one of the Household Waste Recycling Centres to be recycled.
They will be open from 8.30am to 4pm throughout the festival period, except Wednesdays, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
Council leader, Cllr Carl Les, said:
“We are encouraging residents to check out the changes to council services over the festive break. Whether this be waste and recycling collections, or the opening hours of council buildings, we want to make sure nobody is caught out.
“As always, our vital services will continue to be available, and I would like to thank the dedicated staff who will be working over the closedown period.”
All registration offices are closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. During the closedown, residents can still book an appointment to register a birth, death, and give notice of a wedding or civil partnership online.
Most libraries will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. However, some are closed for the duration of the festive period. See details of individual libraries.
Customers can still use North Yorkshire’s digital library, with thousands of free online books and audio books, as well as newspapers, magazines and comics available to borrow, and a range of free reference resources to consult.
The County Record Office is closed from Friday, 21 December, and will reopen on Thursday, 2 January.
Leisure centres, museums and galleries will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, and opening times will vary over the holidays. For more details, contact the individual venues.