Bin collections could spark chaos for millions of Brits (Image: Getty)
Over five million Britons face having their bin collections slashed by penny-pinching local councils, research found.
In the same week it was revealed taxpayers across the country are set for a 5% increase in their council tax, freedom of information requests by the Taxpayers’ Alliance reveal households are paying more for fewer bin collections.
Their research has unearthed that one in ten local councils in Britain are considering reducing their services in some form.
The hit out at the “town hall bin bullies”, with the data suggesting Labour and LibDems councils are most likely to be reviewing collection schedules.
Some 42 authorities are looking at whether to reduce the frequency of one or more bin collections, including landfill and recycling.
The news follows a major backlash last week when Bristol Council announced a consultation into having black bin collections just once a month.
Alongside Bristol, two other councils – Carmarthenshire and East Ayrshire – are also considering cutting waste to once every four weeks. Four councils – North Ayrshire, Dundee, Angus, East Ayrshire – are looking at recycling only once a month.
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The news comes days after Angela Rayner announced a major council tax hike (Image: Getty)
It would mean more than eight million people experiencing some kind of bin change, with five million of them seeing a reduction in their black bin collections.
Other councils including East Hertfordshire, which is considering a cut to general waste collections from every two to three weeks, while simultaneously cutting bin sizes from 240 to 180 litres.
Of the 42 councils, Labour authorities are most likely to be pushing bin collection cuts, making up 17 of the list or 40%. Liberal Democrat-led authorities are the second most likely, in charge of 8 councils considering a bin collection cut.
The make up 6, with the Green Party in fourth with 10 of the councils. Just three Tory-led councils are considering cuts to bin collections.
Joanna Marchong, investigations campaign manager at the Taxpayers’ Alliance, warned: “Residents will be left wondering what to do when the bin lorries don’t show up and the rubbish piles high.
“A shocking number of councils are considering cutting collections, which would leave people facing ever-growing mountains of waste.
“Town halls need to stop making a mess of basic services and focus on delivering what taxpayers pay for.”
Shadow minister for local government Kevin Hollinrake, said the data proves that voters in Labour local authority areas “pay more and get less”.
The North Yorkshire MP argued: “Councils can only do this because the new Labour Government have scrapped Conservative plans to ensure minimum collection requirements, that would have banned 3 and 4-week collections, and ensured weekly collections of smelly waste.
“Town Hall bin bullies should not be canning collections, and letting rubbish pile up in the streets.
“We need councils that get the basics done right. With Labour, you face higher bills, worse services, and mountains of waste on your road.”
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Bristol’s Green council is looking at going down to one collection every four weeks (Image: Getty)
Last week the Green-party led Bristol council said they were looking at a radical proposal to move to once-monthly black bin collections.
The authority’s deputy leader, Heather Mack, insisted it is based on environmental considerations and will encourage more recycling and food composting. However the news was greeted with fury by local residents, some of which shouted “shame on you” at the Green Party councillors during a protest last week.
The Green Party’s last attempt at running a major council, Brighton, also led to bin chaos due to a major strike by collectors leading to 1970-type scenes with bin bags piled high.
The research also comes after the Government confirmed taxpayers will be hit with a major council tax hike this year, despite Labour’s previous pledges to not increase the levy.
In March 2023, Sir told voters that Labour “would freeze next year’s council tax”.
However Communities Secretary has now said councils will be allowed to increase tax by 5% this year, double the rate of inflation.
Some particularly financially troubled authorities will be given permission to hike their council rates by a whopping 10%.
These include Windsor and Maidenhead, Bradford, and Newham. It means people in a band D property in Bradford could see the charge from the council increase by £170 – in addition to an increase in the amount charged by the local police and fire authorities, which are added to council tax bills.