Public want clean streets and their bins emptied

Caroline Spelman has warned of the impact on families after it emerged that the Government is piling pressure on local authorities to scrap their weekly rubbish collection services.The Shadow Local Government Secretary questioned the wisdom of moving towards more fortnightly bin collections, and urged councils to maintain basic services for local residents.And she challenged ministers to explain why waste removal is being cut back at a time when council tax bills are rising sharply.Commenting on a report published by the Department of Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs on waste collection, Mrs Spelman said: "Axing weekly collections will hit families the hardest - those who quite naturally produce more waste than single person households, or couples without children."She warned: "Like many others, they will be asking whether its too much to ask that our streets are kept clean and our bins emptied."Mrs Spelman criticised Government ministers for giving the green light to the abolition of weekly rubbish collections, regardless of public opinion. "Quite justifiably, people have difficulty with council taxes rising to nearly double what it was in 1997, while at the same time their local services are being cut," she said.