Weekly bin collection return is still target

Plans to bring back weekly bin collections in the Wyre Forest district are expected to go ahead despite a cash crisis, a council chief said today.It follows fears of cutbacks because Wyre Forest District Council has £9 million tied up in accounts with troubled Icelandic banks.

However, council leader Councillor John Campion said this would not affect his "aspirations to bring back weekly collections".

He said: "We want to improve and develop the way we collect refuse and recycle waste in the Wyre Forest district and standing still is not an option.

"We have to replace the present system and are looking at the introduction of a new system and our aspirations are to bring back weekly bin collections.

"We are well-placed to cope with this challenge and will do exactly that.

"A panel of councillors forming a scrutiny committee will be looking at this and is expected to reported back before Christmas."

He said he was "still confident" of getting invested money back. The £9 million, invested in three Icelandic banks, represents about two-thirds of the council's £14.4 million annual budget.

Fellow Tory councillor John Aston had asked how the council may be affected by the financial problems.