Advice for residents and service changes (COVID-19)

We have created a new central hub for all housing questions and COVID-19. This can be found here 

Due to collections taking longer, we need to start some rounds earlier. Please place bins out for collection the evening before your scheduled collection day, or by 6.15am on your collection day as per your waste calendar. This is 45 minutes earlier than the usual time to allow the staff to stagger their start times and reduce their contact with others.

Please take extra care to disinfect or clean the handle of your wheeled bin or box when you put it out and after collection.This is an extra precaution for the crews and you to reduce the risk of passing any infection

Personal waste (such as used tissues) and disposable cleaning cloths can be stored securely within disposable rubbish bags. These bags should be placed into another bag, tied securely and kept separate from other waste. This should be put aside for at least 72 hours before being put in your usual external household waste bin. Other household waste can be disposed of as normal.

Biffa teams cannot collect extra refuse left alongside your bin. 

However, if you have extra recycling which can not fit in your blue lidded bin Biffa will collect it providing it is securely contained in clear plastic sacks or in a cardboard box.

We want to take care of our crews so they can continue to work for as long as possible and we want to avoid them coming into direct contact with waste.

If you have extra waste or recycling , please bag it up securely and store it.

Please put it in your bin for the next scheduled collection.

Hampshire County Council has confirmed you must have an appointment to visit an HWRC. If you visit an HWRC without an appointment you will be turned away. Sites will be open from 9am to 6pm seven days a week, however you will have to book a 30-minute slot up to 48 hours in advance. From Thursday 11 June you can book a slot by phone or online by following the link here.

There are additional measures in place to ensure the safe operation of the sites – please visit their website for more information. 

If you are unwell even for a short period, you can request an assisted collection by emailing customerservice@winchester.gov.uk or calling 0300 300 0013.

On 11 March the government provided guidance on how to dispose of your waste correctly. Anyone who has tested positive or is displaying symptoms of COVID-19 should double bag their waste and it should be put in a suitable and secure place and marked for storage.

Please find further information here: https://www.letsrecycle.com/news/latest-news/defra-coronavirus-waste-disposal-advice/

For further information about our waste, recycling and street cleaning services, click here

During this time, we’re asking residents not to burn garden or household waste.

With more people at home susceptible to the side effects of inhaling smoke due to respiratory illness like Covid-19, it’s likely that your neighbours will be adversely affected by bonfires. Our advice is  either to compost garden waste or keep it in a safe place until these restrictions are lifted.

If you’re affected by smoke caused from bonfires, please do speak to your neighbour first (and be mindful of social distancing) as they might be unaware of the impact it is having on you.

If you have any concerns about environmental issues in your neighbourhood, please contact our team on 01962 848097, email: EH@winchester.gov.uk, or visit: www.winchester.gov.uk/environment

The council’s Benefits & Welfare team are here to help and provide specialist advice and support to residents. They can provide information on council tax reduction and also second adult rebate. To find out more information about council tax visit  here

If you are struggling to pay your Council Tax please contact the team on counciltax@winchester.gov.uk or call 01962 848 288

Ways we can help include spreading council tax instalments over 12 months instead of ten, altering the timing of payments. Please see the back of your Council Tax Bill for details

If you’re unemployed, claiming benefits or on a low income the council’s Benefits & Welfare team can help you claim council tax reduction

Residents of working age, who already benefit from some Council Tax Reduction, will receive an additional £150 off their Council Tax bill. Eligible households will receive this automatically. A revised Council Tax bill will be issued shortly.

For further information or assistance on Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Second Adult Rebate and Discretionary Housing Payments, or to make a claim for these benefits, please visit www.winchester.gov.uk/benefits or phone 01962 848 539.

If your financial circumstances have not changed and you are able to pay your Council Tax then you will help the council to help those that are struggling by not asking to amend your payment plan – thank you.

You can make your Universal Credit (UC) claim online by visiting the GOV UK website.

If you need help making a claim for Universal Credit:

• Contact the Freephone Universal Credit helpline on:

 Telephone: 0800 328 5644

 Textphone: 0800 328 1344

 Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm

Help to claim

The Citizens Advice Help to claim service helps people make a Universal Credit claim and receive their first full payment on time. It is available online, over the phone and face to face through local Citizens Advice services.

The help covers from starting a claim to receiving your first full payment. They will provide claimants with the help they need. This could include, supporting a claimant to set up a Universal Credit account, work through their claim to-dos, ensure they are providing the right kind of evidence to the DWP and understand what Universal Credit will mean for them.

Please contact your local Citizens Advice www.citizensadvicewinchester.org.uk for help or call the national Citizens Advice Universal Support Helpline on 0800 144 8444.

If you are helping a friend or family member to claim Universal Credit, there is some useful information here.

Park & Ride services in Winchester are operating every seven minutes at peak times, please remember that there have been changes made to keep you safe.

These include

• Wearing a face mask
• Waiting for others to get off the bus before you get on
• Using contactless to pay if you can
• Sitting with at least two metres between you and other passengers 

If you can see it’s too busy to do this, please wait for the next bus – they are running every seven minutes at peak times – thank you.

The timetable can be found here Park&Ride timetable ^{(pdf, 60kb)}

To support the NHS and other key workers at this crucial time, we are providing free parking in car parks across the district and in our Winchester Park & Rides. You will need a pass for your windscreen so if you fall into this category please contact us at: parking@winchester.gov.uk

Standard parking charges remain in place across our car parks for all other drivers.

Our Sports team have a dedicated page on ways to stay active, to find out more click here 

Our play parks and outdoor gyms are open and you can help us by doing the following.

• Accompany your child/children
• Sanitise their hands before and after
• Don’t eat or drink in the play area
• Put any litter in the bins - if they are full please take the litter home with you
• Encourage your children not to put their mouths on the equipment or put their hands in their mouths
• Observe the suggested limit on numbers – both in the play area as a whole, and on individual items of equipment
• Be aware some play equipment may be disabled to support social distancing
• Be considerate – if a lot of people are waiting, limit your children’s time on the area so everyone can enjoy the park

Outdoor gyms are also subject to limits on numbers – please check the signs before entering.

Council meetings are taking place virtually – replacing the physical gatherings in locations at the Guildhall. Details about virtual meetings and how public participation currently works can be found here 

Most public meetings will continue to be live streamed with a playback option, and a day after meetings are held they can also be viewed on YouTube 

To find out more about the location of the Winchester Street Markets, click here. 

The Sunday car boot sale at the Cattle Market Car Park, off Worthy Lane is now closed due to government advice on mass gatherings. 

You can find guidance from Hampshire County Council here: www.hants.gov.uk/News/20201610seasonalevents