City of Albany services to increase opening times after six-months of reduced hours due to COVID-19

City of Albany services will switch back to regular opening hours early next year, with the National Anzac Centre and Albany Visitor Centre set to operate seven days a week before the end of the month.

Backed by the Fair Work Commission, City staff took a 20 per cent reduction in hours for six months in July and voted to freeze salaries for the next financial year to plug a forecast revenue shortfall of more than $7 million.

As a result, several key City of Albany facilities, including the National Anzac Centre and Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre, were shut on Mondays and daily hours were reduced.

The reduced hours are set to come to end for the Albany Visitor Centre on December 21.

The Albany Heritage Park, including the National Anzac Centre, will reopen on Mondays from December 26.

The Vancouver Arts Centre reverted to Monday to Friday opening hours last week.

The Hanrahan Road Waste Facility and ALAC will return to daily operations from January 4.

City chief executive Andrew Sharpe said the City was grateful for community support through the coronavirus crisis.

“It’s really exciting for the community that we’re able to expand our service delivery again and it is really testament to the way our staff and our community has been able to work through the challenges we’ve faced from COVID this year,” he said.

“There is a lot of uncertainty ahead so the City needs to remain adaptable and make business decisions that are not only sustainable but align with community expectations in terms of service delivery.”