Eric Pickles blocks bid to drop weekly bin collections
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles is to order the local government watchdog to stop pressurising councils into abandoning weekly bin collections, it was disclosed.
Aides said he would be writing to the Audit Commission instructing it to withdraw guidance to local authorities encouraging them to move to fortnightly collections.
Mr Pickles last night accused the commission of being part of a "conspiracy" with the former Labour government to "kill off" weekly bin rounds.
He was said to be ready, if necessary, to use his legal powers as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to "direct" the commission to withdraw its guidance to councils.
"We are in no mood to mess around. The Audit Commission had better get their house in order, they had better do it now," a source at the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) said.
It is the second time this week that Mr Pickles clashed with the commission.
He already blocked the appointment of a new chief executive over a proposed £240,000 pay package, arguing that it was "against the spirit" of austerity in public spending.
His team previously was angered by the commission's advice to councils on waste management, which was released shortly before the general election in response to parliamentary answers.
According to aides, it said that the minimum lifecycle of flies in the UK was 14 days "so a fortnightly collection should be okay".
It was also said to describe councils which moved to fortnightly collections as "more progressive", suggesting that they made it easier to recycle waste.
Mr Pickles said: "There was a clear conspiracy by Labour ministers and Whitehall bin bullies to kill off weekly bin collections.
"This demolishes Labour's claim that Britain's barmy bin policies were a local decision - these cuts were imposed from above, with town halls left to take the blame.
"The new Government will work with councils to freeze council tax and help them improve the frequency of rubbish and recycling collections. Families now pay a fortune in council tax - it's time they got a better deal."
Earlier this month Mr Pickles announced that he was abandoning plans for a "pay as you throw" levy - which were being considered by Labour - in favour of a system of rewards and incentives to encourage people to recycle more.
