A ROW has erupted in York over Christmas and New Year bin collections with some areas having to wait four weeks to have their recycling collected, it's been claimed.

Waste and recycling collection dates changed for over Christmas and the New Year in some parts of York, but in areas including Woodthorpe and parts of Foxwood and Acomb, there will be no recycling collection for four weeks.

Collections that would have taken place December 29, will take place on December 30 instead, but only black bins will be emptied rather than recycling.

Liberal Democrat councillor Paula Widdowson said: “Staff in the waste team deserve a break over Christmas and New Year like everyone else, so it’d be helpful to understand why this year, under Labour, it has proved impossible to give staff the time off that they are entitled to whilst keeping the service running, for example through the offer of paid overtime.

“I’d like an assurance that next year, we can return to a system whereby nobody misses out on a recycling collection.

“I have serious concerns that the Askham Bar Tesco and Acomb Morrisons recycling banks will be overwhelmed, and so have asked for urgent confirmation that arrangements are being made to increase the frequency of emptying.”

Cllr Jenny Kent, City of York Council's executive member for environment, said: “All staff are being paid overtime to work additional weekends, but they, like all of us, deserve the choice to spend time with their families and fulfil caring responsibilities over Christmas instead.

“Previous Liberal Democrat administrations offered last-minute additional inducement payments on top of overtime, but this risked equal pay claims from other staff, who also work unsociable hours without additional bonuses.

“Birmingham City Council went bankrupt on the back of equal pay claims this year, and we won’t put York at risk.

“Our crews work really hard, achieving 99.93 per cent successful collections out of a total of 6.1 million black bin, recycling, and garden waste visits throughout the year.

“Where households will miss a single recycling collection this Christmas, crews will collect the extra, placed with your recycling boxes, on the next scheduled collection.

“Residents can also take items to household waste recycling centres at Hazel Court and Towthorpe, and local recycling points.”

Birmingham City Council issued a section 114 notice in September after it announced it had to pay up to £760m to settle equal pay claims.

It had already spent £1.1bn and its bill was increasing by between £5m and £14m each month.

The City of York Council currently forecasts an £11.1 million overspend, but its finance executive Cllr Katie Lomas does not expect to issue a section 114 notice this financial year.