New resident of Preston

Welcome to Preston, the heart of Lancashire...

Just moved into the area? If so, you will find the following information useful as a new resident of the city.

Visit Help in Preston - Welcome To Preston to help welcome you to your new city.

Council Tax

• Register for Council Tax at your new address
• Find out your Council Tax rate
• How to pay your Council Tax
• Apply for Council Tax Support

Find out more about Council Tax.

Housing Benefit 

• Make a Housing Benefit claim
• Register and view your benefits online

For wider help and advice services in Preston visit Help in Preston.

Bins and recycling

• Request a new bin 
• Apply for garden waste collection
• Apply for clinical waste collection
• Find your bin collection day
• What can I put in my waste and recycling bins?
• A-Z of recycling

Find out more about bins and recycling.

Register to vote

• Register to vote

Find out more about elections and voting.

Local councillors

• Find your local councillor
• Find your local MP
• Find the current Mayor of Preston
• Mayor of Preston's blog

Find out more about councillors and meetings.

Find local council news

Visit the council news section for the latest information on council news. You can also follow us on social media:

• Facebook - Preston City Council
• X - Preston City Council

Local community involvement

• Get involved in your local community
• Community news and updates

Find out more about local neighbourhoods and communities.

Help in Preston

Help in Preston is a website for the whole community. Connecting you to the help you need at the time you most need it.

The website brings together information from a wide range of Preston based advice and support services from benefits and money advice, through to housing, health and wellbeing, plus much more.

Jobs and volunteering

For all the latest council job vacancies and volunteering opportunities see jobs and volunteering.

Parks and open spaces

For information on Preston's public parks and open spaces, such as nature reserves, country parks and cycle routes, see Visit Preston - Outdoor and Wildlife.

Leisure, culture and events

For information on things to do and see in Preston, plus upcoming events, quality of life, places to study and the city's investment scene take a look at Visit Preston - Things to Do and Visit Preston - What's On.

Local services near me

Our find my nearest service provides you with details of the following local services near you:

• Polling station
• GP practices
• Hospitals
• Opticians
• Pharmacists
• Dentists

You can also find personal information about your property, which ward you live in, bin collections dates, local councillors and property planning applications.

Find local services near me

Visit Preston

Visit Preston is the official tourism website for Preston, Lancashire. The website provides inspiration for your visit to the city and its surrounding areas, including Things to See and Do and What's On, all in one handy location.

The website also showcases Preston's Food and Drinks options, Where to stay, and retail options with Shopping.

New and returning students

For new and returning students, discover free and affordable things to do, plus great places to eat and drink, by visiting Visit Preston - Student Guide 2023 things to do in Preston City Centre.

Follow on social media

• Facebook - Visit Preston
• X - Visit Preston
• Instagram - Visit Preston

Preston Markets

Preston Markets is the one-stop location for fresh, local, quality food and places to eat in or take away. There's also a popular pub, which is a great place to unwind with plenty of music events taking place there across the year.

For a list of current traders visit Preston Markets - discover our traders. The website also includes all the latest news and events across the year.

Follow on social media

• Facebook - Preston Markets 
• X - Preston Markets
• Instagram - Preston Markets

Invest Preston

Invest Preston is the go to hub for all the latest key investment and development projects taking place across Preston City Centre and the surrounding area. The website also has a useful Business Support section offering advice from Start up Assistance to Business Development Support and Financial Support. There's also a Business News Blog and Business Events in Preston section keeping you up to do date with all the latest business news and what's on.

Doing work on your new home?

• Get advice from our planning and building control team
• Hire a skip
• Arrange a bulky waste collection
• Find out about improving energy efficiency

Useful Lancashire County Council services

The following services are managed by Lancashire County Council. You may find them helpful as a new resident of Preston:

• Apply for a resident parking permit
• Apply for a blue badge
• Apply for concessionary travel pass (NoWcard)
• Find your local recycling centre
• Find a school
• Find childcare
• Join a library

Redirect your post

Ask Royal Mail to send your mail to your new address at Royal Mail - Redirection.

Map address for Preston City Council Town Hall

Preston Town Hall
Lancaster Road
Preston
PR1 2RL