Christmas opening times

Changes to services and opening times over Christmas and the New Year

Customer services

You can find most services online. Either:

find a service on the front page
search for the service you need
send us a message and we will get back to you in the new year

Access Islington Hub

All Access Islington Hubs will be closed on:

Thursday 25 December (Christmas Day)
Friday 26 December (Boxing Day)
Thursday 1 January (New Year's Day)

North Hub is also closed on Wednesday 24 December and reopens Monday 5 January.

Central Hub will also close earlier than normal at 4pm on:

Wednesday 24 December
Monday 29 December
Tuesday 30 December
Wednesday 31 December

Central Hub reopens Friday 2 January 2026.

Calling us

The customer service phone number (020 7527 2000) is closed on:

Thursday 25 December (Christmas Day)
Friday 26 December (Boxing Day)
Thursday 1 January (New Years Day)

It will close earlier than normal at 4pm on:

Wednesday 24 December
Monday 29 December
Tuesday 30 December
Wednesday 31 December

Repairs

The emergency (080 0694 3344) and non-emergency (020 7527 5400) repair phone numbers are open as normal. They are closed on:

Thursday 25 December (Christmas Day)
Friday 26 December (Boxing Day)
Thursday 1 January (New Year's Day)

Rubbish and recycling

Collections

There will be no collections on Thursday 25 December and Thursday 1 January. Some collections will be the next day. Collections include mixed recycling, food waste, garden waste and rubbish.

Normal collection day	Christmas collection day
Thursday 25 December (Christmas Day)	Friday 26 December
Friday 26 December (Boxing Day)	Saturday 27 December
Thursday 1 January (New Year's Day)	Friday 2 January
Friday 2 January	Saturday 3 January

Normal collections will start again from Monday 5 January. Check your normal collection day.

Christmas tree collections

After Christmas, we will collect your tree from outside your home on your usual collection day between Monday 5 January and Friday 16 January.

You can also take your tree to one of these drop-off points at:

Barnard Park
Elthorne Park
King’s Square Gardens
Rosemary Gardens
Wray Park Crescent (park end)
Spa Fields
Tufnell Park Playing Fields (entrance of Campdale Road)
Highbury Crescent
Paradise Park

Remember to do your bit for the environment by recycling your food waste when you are making Christmas dinner.

Reuse and Recycling centre

Visit the North London Waste Authority website for opening times.

Parking

Check the parking rules for Controlled Parking Zones on bank holidays.

Thursday 25 December (Christmas Day)

We will not be enforcing parking on Christmas Day.

Friday 26 December (Boxing Day)

We will only be enforcing all 24-hour parking and traffic rules such as:

double yellow lines
footway
double parking
zig zags
disabled and doctor bays
all moving traffic, bus lanes, and estate parking

Saturday 27 December to Wednesday 31 January

We will enforce all parking including additional match day controls during Arsenal matches. Check Emirates Stadium restrictions.

Free parking vouchers for 27 and 29 to 31 December

Use the free parking vouchers in the winter 2025 copy of Islington Life magazine to park on:

Saturday 27 December (except during Arsenal matches between 6:30pm and 8:30pm)
Monday 29 December
Tuesday 30 December (except during Arsenal matches between 6:30pm and 8:30pm)
Wednesday 31 December

You can use the vouchers to park in resident permit or shared use permit bays on the street.

You cannot use the vouchers on:

estates
zones with additional match day restrictions between 6:30pm and 8:30pm

Thursday 1 January 2026 (New Years Day)

We will only be enforcing all 24-hour parking and traffic rules such as:

double yellow lines
footway
double parking
zig zags
disabled and doctor bays
all moving traffic, bus lanes, and estate parking

Vehicle pound

Telephone number: 020 7527 1381

Address: Unit 1, Waltham Park Way Walthamstow London E17 5DU

More information about vehicle clamping and removal

Nuisance or abandoned vehicles

Telephone number: 020 7527 7624 (open 24 hours).

Email address: contracts.enforcement@islington.gov.uk (monitored 9am to 5pm on the 27, 30, 31 December 2025 and 2 January 2026)

Estate parking

Check estate parking information or email housing.transport@islington.gov.uk for questions about parking on the estates.

Libraries

All libraries will be closed:

from 1pm on Wednesday 24 December
Thursday 25 December (Christmas Day) and Friday 26 December (Boxing Day)
from 5pm on Wednesday 31 December
Thursday 1 January (New Year's Day)

Our libraries have different opening hours. Check library opening times on other days.

Birth, death, marriage, and citizenship services

Wednesday 24 December: open 9am to 12 noon and 1pm to 3pm (registrations by appointment only)
Thursday 25 December (Christmas Day): closed
Friday 26 December (Boxing Day) to Sunday 28 December: closed
Monday 29 December to Wednesday 31 December: open 9am to 12pm and 1pm to 3pm (registrations by appointment only)
Thursday 1 January (New Year’s Day): closed
Friday 2 January: normal opening hours
Saturday 3 January and Sunday 4 January: closed

On all the days we are closed except 25 December (Christmas Day), there will be a registrar available for the registration of death and issue of a burial certificate for a funeral that is to take place within 24 hours. Call 020 7527 2000 between 9.30am and 12.30pm and we will connect you to a registrar.

Reporting anti-social behaviour

You can continue to report anti-social behaviour (ASB) the same way as normal – report ASB with the online form. We will not be able to respond for ASB from:

10pm on Wednesday 24 December to 5pm on Friday 26 December
5am to 5pm on 1 January

Parks

All parks will be open to the public.

Parks that are normally locked will be left open on the nights of the 24 to 26 and 31 December, and 1 January. Normal locking times will continue on 2 January.

Park toilets will be closed from 3pm on the 24 December until 8am on 2 January.

Sports pitches and courts will be open for free play from 3pm on 24 December until 8am on 2 January. You will not be able to book them. The flood lights will be turned off at night.

Help us keep the parks clean and tidy by taking your litter home with you and recycling it when you can. There will be fewer maintenance teams on duty over Christmas and New Year's.

Planning and building control

The planning and building control service will be closed from Thursday 25 December to Friday 2 January 2026.

Report dangerous structures as normal by calling the out-of-hours line on 020 7527 2000.

The duty planner appointment service will close on 23 December and reopen on 13 January 2026.