AGENCY staff working at the Council House in Bromsgrove are adding thousand of pounds to the authority's annual wage bill, it is being claimed.

The opposition Labour group is angry after discovering that extra temporary staff are to be engaged to cope with the 10,000 forms returned by residents asking for help with the new wheelie bin refuse collection service.

Group leader Councillor Peter McDonald (Waseley) said he discovered by chance that the authority has been forced to take on temporary staff after a worried resident contacted him to say he had not received a reply after filing in his form several weeks ago.

"It seems the council is in complete disarray over this issue," said Cllr McDonald.

"I have had a number of people contact me because they will not be able to cope with putting their bins in or out and will require assistance.

"It appears none of the forms have been processed and no-one has had a visit."

Cllr McDonald added that both the chief officer and finance director are temporary agency staff.

In the case of the chief officer Cllr McDonald estimates the fee to be around £10,000 per month.

"Agency staff are costing council tax payers dear. For this reason I have called in auditors from KPMG to find out precisely how much."

David Williams, the council's director of environmental services, said two agency staff have been engaged at minimum cost for a maximum of three weeks.

Cllr Margaret Taylor (Con-Linthurst), the council's deputy leader, said that the council has always ensured it has adequate staff but when circumstances demand specialist staff are called in at minimum expense.

"This is the prudential way to run a council," she added.

The new refuse collection scheme is set to begin in March.