HOUSEHOLDERS in Bromsgrove are being assured that they have nothing to fear and everything to gain from proposed changes to the way their refuse will be collected.

Labour claims residents will be "short changed" by proposals to scrap the traditional back door collection service and introduce a wheely-bin scheme.

They also fear redundancies will follow because fewer binmen will be needed after the introduction of the wheely-bins, around which the new ground breaking scheme centres. The changes are part of a major overhaul of the way refuse and materials for recycling will in future be collected. Earlier this year Bromsgrove District Council scooped a huge £3.5m Government grant to upgrade refuse collection and introduce a recycling scheme.

But Labour says the council is missing a big opportunity to improve the service.

Group leader, Councillor Peter McDonald (Uffdown and Waseley) says the Tories have decided to stop the back door collection and only collect waste once every two weeks.

"Instead of using the millions given them by government to improve the service they are short changing residents. They have decided to end the weekly waste collection, collect it every two weeks and collection recyclables every two weeks. The collections will alternate.

"And the introduction of wheely-bins will lead to redundancies among binmen." Cllr McDonald added: "An opportunity has been missed to collect waste and recyclables weekly and maintain the backdoor collection, which is vital for the elderly and less able. If this was done there would be no redundancies."

But deputy council leader Margaret Taylor (Con-Barnt Green) said Labour was simply scaremongering.

She said a register of homes where people are unable to put out their bins will be made and assistance given where needed. Householders will have a choice of bin size she added. One will be larger than the other and able to hold more refuse, which will be less because more materials will be recycled. Emphatically denying there will be redundancies, she said a big bonus will be the collection of garden waste.