RULING Conservative councillors have pledged to keep weekly bin collections in Selby district - barring interference from central Government.

Group leader Coun Mark Crane said his party made the same pledge before the last district council elections in 2003, and had remained true to its word.

His comments came after Labour leader Coun Jack Crawford pressed him on rumours that rubbish collections in Selby, Tadcaster, Sherburn-In-Elmet and the surrounding villages would be cut to once every two weeks.

"At the full council meeting this week, Jack said we couldn't continue to keep a weekly bin collection," Coun Crane said.

"We've done it for four years and we've seen recycling rates increase as well. We've got no plans to change it."

He said a Conservative regime would only go to fortnightly collections if forced to by Westminster.

Fortnightly collections have been in place for thousands of residents in York since autumn 2005.

City of York Council argued that weekly collections encouraged residents to send more rubbish to landfill.

Leading councillors said that residents would recycle more if their black bins were only collected every 14 days.

The decision sparked controversy in the city, prompting The Press to launch the Bin It! campaign to get the fortnightly collections scrapped.

Coun Crane said in Selby district the Conservatives had presided over an increase in recycling over the past four years.

He said the area's residents now recycled 31 per cent of their rubbish, compared to a national average of 23 per cent in other local authority areas with weekly refuse collections.

"We've put resources into recycling, and we've advertised it well - we've engaged residents by collecting paper and card, cans and glasses, as well as garden greens," he said.

But Coun Crawford said the pledge was an empty promise and could not be paid for. He said: "It's difficult to see how they could pledge such a thing.

"As far as I'm aware, looking at the finances, they have had to go into the balances and resources to the tune of half a million pounds every year they have been in power to keep up with the weekly collection, and I just can't see how they can do such a thing financially.

"They are nearly £1 million short of the base budget for the services as they stand now.

"The only thing I can think of is that they are banking on Selby Council not existing in two or three years' time. They can't keep on funding refuse collection at that level. The only other way is to sell the Civic Centre.

"I think it's just an empty gesture. But one of the accusations is that Labour are all for a fortnightly collection, and we're not."

l The Government has defended fortnightly rubbish collections. Environment Minister Ben Bradshaw said there was "no evidence" they posed a health risk.