LABOUR councillors in Pendle have pledged to scrap a charge to have garden waste bins emptied if they take control of the council next month.

Pendle Council has introduced a £25 charge per household per year for garden waste collections from the end of June.

Coun Mohammed Iqbal, leader of Labour group, said: “At the budget meeting, Labour was the only party which refused to impose this back-door increase on over 25,000 households across Pendle.

“I make a public promise to scrap this tax on garden waste if Labour takes control of the council after the local elections on May 22.”

Earlier this week Philip Mousdale, deputy chief executive at Pendle Council, said: “We have had to make changes to how we finance some of our services against a backdrop of tighter budgets than we’ve ever faced before.

“The annual garden waste subscription charge is £25 per bin – this equates to 50p per week. This will not make a profit for the council, but cover the costs of providing the service.”