An improved and extended garden waste collection is set to be introduced in the borough which will offer residents the service nearly all year round.

The fortnightly green waste collections will be extended to cover 50 weeks of the year and run throughout most of the winter months, with collections only suspended over the Christmas holiday period.

This is an increase from the current 32-week service as part of plans included in the council budget proposals released today. (Tue)

The proposals will involve the collections becoming a paid-for service, with councillors set to finalise costs in the coming months ahead of an announcement before the collections restart in Spring next year. Councillor Karen Shakespeare, cabinet member for public realm, said:

"We know how much people value this service. We’ve listened to complaints from people who are frustrated with the current collection cycle, so we know many will be pleased to see us extending this to all 12 months of the year.

"Most councils already charge to cover the costs of providing this service. A new chargeable opt-in service would give people the choice whether or not to use it.

"We will be doing all we can to ensure the extended and improved service offers excellent value to our residents."

The proposals will go through a full scrutiny process which will establish recommendations around charging, which we will of course consider before making a final decision on the cost to residents.