Council services in Trafford are continuing to operate as far as the latest restrictions allow during the current national coronavirus lockdown.
Hundreds of frontline council workers will continue to provide essential services including social care, environmental health services, road gritting and street refuse collection.
Household waste collections will continue to existing timetables, with grey and green bins collected fortnightly and black and blue bins emptied every 4 weeks. Residents should check the Council website for the latest updates.
Recycling centres in Altrincham and Stretford, run by Recycle for Greater Manchester, are in operation with opening hours unaffected (Mon-Sun 8am-6pm). Residents are asked to keep visits to a minimum, follow social distancing measures on site and wear face coverings.
Libraries remain open at Altrincham, Coppice, Partington, Sale, Stretford and Urmston with opening hours detailed on the Trafford Libraries website. Although browsing is no longer possible, books can be reserved and borrowed using the Order and Collect service and public computers can be booked for essential use by calling 0161 912 3189. The eLibrary service is also available to download eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines and eNewspapers for free using a Trafford library card.
Birth registrations can proceed but appointments should be booked in advance by phone. Death registrations can be taken by phone and in both cases residents should call 0161 912 3026.
The lockdown means that Marriage and Civil Partnership ceremonies can now only proceed in exceptional circumstances, for example if one of the people wishing to marry is seriously ill and not expected to recover, they are receiving debilitating treatment or undergoing life changing surgery. Anyone with a forthcoming ceremony should now have been contacted by the Registrar team, who can be contacted on registrars@trafford.gov.uk.
Parking enforcement for resident permit areas will cease during the lockdown, meaning that residents do not need to renew permits which are coming to an end until the end of the current restriction period. People without permits who now have to stay at home will not need to purchase a permit until they are advised to do so. All other parking restrictions, including parking charges, still apply during this time.
Parks, open spaces and children’s playgrounds are open to enable daily exercise and fresh air for families during the lockdown, and play equipment will be cleaned on a regular basis. However enclosed outdoor sports facilities including bowling greens, tennis and basketball courts are now closed and where these facilities are gated, these will be locked and should not be used.
The infection rate in Trafford remains high and residents are reminded to stay at home except for permitted activities, to stay local for exercise and essential shopping and to always observe social distancing when out in the community.
Cllr Mike Freeman, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Covid-19 Recovery and Reform said:
“In this third national lockdown we are working hard to make sure the key services that residents depend upon continue with as little disruption as possible. Like all organisations we anticipate ongoing challenges as staff are required to isolate, but plans are in place to ensure that essential services will still operate.
Lockdown is tough for everyone but with Covid-19 vaccines now being rolled out across Trafford, there is reason for optimism and we thank residents for their resilience in following the current guidelines and staying at home as much as possible for the benefit of all.”
Full details and regular service updates as well as advice for residents and businesses can be found on the Council’s Coronavirus webpages.
Posted on Friday 15th January 2021