Grieving families face disruption on Monday with councils scaling back funeral services and even closing cemeteries as the country mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Local authorities have warned the bank holiday for the late monarch’s memorial means they will be operating with a skeleton staff and many public buildings will have to close.
Britain is set to grind to a halt with many shops, cafes, cinemas and cinemas shutting their doors, driving tests cancelled and trains and buses operating reduced timetables.
It comes despite the Palace saying that King Charles III wants to see “minimum disruption” to people’s daily lives, amid warnings NHS appointments are being cancelled.
More than half a dozen councils have announced funerals will be affected by the bank holiday, with many more offering to reschedule services for grieving families.
Cemeteries in Watford, Preston and Luton will be closed completely to visitors.
In the Hertfordshire towns of Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted and Tring the council will “carry out existing commitments in the morning” but opening hours will be shortened.
Caerphilly council in Wales announced that all funerals planned for Monday will be rescheduled, although it said graveyards will remain open to the public.
Similarly authorities said no burials will take place in either Belfast or Ards and North Down, both in Northern Ireland, throughout the bank holiday.
Birmingham City said that its cemeteries and crematoria will remain open but warned the public they will “operate a reduced service”.
A large number of councils across the country said that services which have already been booked will be honoured but that cemetery offices will be closed.
Most are offering bereaved families the opportunity to move pre-planned funerals, given that many may not wish for them to clash with the late Queen’s.
Government guidance issued to local authorities says that “disruption to services such as weddings and funerals should be minimised”.
Bin collections
The majority of councils have said that bin services will be cancelled entirely on Monday and, as a result, will be a day later than usual for the rest of the week.
In many areas local recycling centres and publicly run tips will also be shut, and there will be no commercial refuse collections either.
Public lavatories
Some authorities have warned people that public toilets will be shut throughout the bank holiday on Monday.
Areas affected include Crawley in south London, Thanet in Kent, the Scottish Borders area and Dumfries and Galloway.
Public buildings
Almost all councils across the country have announced that publicly run buildings will close their doors to visitors on the day of the Queen’s funeral.
These will include town halls, libraries, leisure centres, swimming pools, gyms, museums, and archives. In some areas facilities like artificial football pitches will remain open.
Parks
In contrast the vast majority of parks are set to remain open to the public, although some of the facilities within them may be closed.
Many local authorities are warning that tea rooms and cafes in particular will be shut, as well as visitor centres at larger country recreation spots.
Belfast City Council said the zoo in the Northern Irish capital, which it owns, will not open.
Markets
Councils have announced that local markets which were set to be held as usual on Monday will be cancelled for the bank holiday.
Areas affected by such announcements include Hackney in London, Preston in Lancashire, Rotherham in Yorkshire, Shrewsbury in Shropshire and Gillingham in Kent.
Bus services
Across the country bus services are largely set to operate on reduced Sunday timetables as a result of the Bank Holiday.
On the Isle of Wight and in Newport, Wales, providers have announced that all services will be stopped between 10am and 2pm so drivers can watch the funeral.
Elsewhere many local authorities have announced that the park and ride services they run will not be operating on Monday.
Parking
Some councils have said that car parking services will be affected by the effective shutdown of the county for the memorial.
Shropshire County has announced that all pay and display car parks will be made free, whilst North Yorkshire has said two multi-storeys in Macclesfield will be shut.
Road works
Across the country workmen will be given the day off meaning planned road works and highway maintenance projects are delayed.
Most local authorities have said that they will only respond to emergency callouts on Monday, such as trees that have fallen across roads.
Street cleaning
Some councils have announced that normal street cleaning services will be scaled back or even cancelled entirely.
Sweeping will be suspended in Thanet, Kent, for the bank holiday whilst in Watford there will be a “limited and essential service only”.
The local authority in Cambridge has said its service will “operate from 6am-10am only with a focus on the city centre”.
Council offices
Councils across the country have warned people that their main offices will be shuttered, with all face-to-face appointments cancelled.
Telephone lines will also be closed to general enquiries on Monday, though their emergency numbers will remain open and available.
Social services
Youth centres and adult social care, such as day services for people with illnesses and learning disabilities, will be shut on Monday in many areas.
Councils will be operating emergency and out of hours services for those in particular need.
Local authorities across the country have also announced that family and children’s centres will close and not reopen until Tuesday.
Housing repairs
Councils all over Britain have said that only emergency repairs to social housing will be carried out on Monday.
Some, like Woking in Surrey, have warned tenants there will be a knock-on effect and it is possible planned works for the rest of the week could be delayed as a result.
