LABOUR councillors will press ahead with plans to launch a pilot for three-weekly bin collections.

The Local Democracy Reporter Service understands that councillors met behind closed doors last month at St Helens town hall for a Labour group meeting.

A Labour source said the special meeting was called to discuss the three-weekly brown bin pilot.

Following a presentation from Lynn Clarke, cabinet member for better neighbourhoods, members agreed to start the pilot in February 2019, although this still needs council approval.

While the group did not come to an agreement where the pilot will take place, members were told the council intend to focus on two of the worst performing recycling areas in St Helens.

The areas that will be considered are parts of the town centre, Thatto Heath, Sutton and Sutton Manor, Newton-le-Willows and Earlestown, West Park and Bold.

Councillors meet at Labour group meetings around once per month to adopt positions on council matters.

All meetings of the council’s executive, including meetings of its committees or sub-committees, must be open to the public, except in limited defined circumstances.

However, party meetings are private, with members free to discuss and strategise council policy.

A St Helens Labour group spokesman said: “Political group meetings are a nationally recognised contribution to Local Government.

“Like other political parties we do not provide a running commentary on group meetings.

“Council decisions are made following discussion at public council meetings.”

Cabinet deferred a decision to pilot the three-weekly brown bin collections in February in order to further scrutinise the plans, which council chiefs hope will help save £1.4 million over seven years.

One of the recommendations made by the task force set up to scrutinise the plans is to launch a full public consultation – a move backed by Liberal Democrat councillor Michael Haw.

Cllr Haw said: “St Helens Council’s own task force report, which was produced to scrutinise plans to introduce three-weekly brown bin collections, said that public consultation should take place.

“To go against this recommendation and not seek the views of local people would be contemptuous to say the least.

“Any decision on whether to introduce a three-weekly brown bin collection service should be made by the taxpaying residents of this town, not by councillors or council officials behind closed doors on their behalf.

“Across the country, other councils are seeking the views of residents concerning three-weekly bin collections through public consultation, with Central Bedforshire Council being the latest to opt not to pursue the introduction of a three-weekly collection service, after concerns were raised about the system by residents.

“The same methodology should be applied here in St Helens, especially given the high level of public interest, with public consultation undertaken to gauge residents’ views.”

One of the main reasons the council is looking to change the service is to reach a recycling rate of 50 per cent by 2020.

Council leader Derek Long told cabinet in June that the authority is a ‘very, very long way’ from reaching the target, revealing a drop from almost 40 per cent to 36 per cent.

If the council does not reach the target by 2020, it could be penalised by central government as a result of EU fines.

A spokesman for the Department for Communities and Local Government said it is for local authorities to decide how it improves its recycling rates.

“While this issue is ultimately for local councils to decide, we encourage them to support the wishes of local people and collect waste regularly,” the spokesman said.

Cllr Haw called the council’s proposals an ‘unwanted and backwards step’.

The Eccleston ward councillor said he ‘strongly objects’ to the plans as the means to increase recycling rates.

Cllr Haw said: “Many families already find it difficult to manage with the two-weekly collection, and a three-weekly collection will simply compound the problem.

“The proposals are an unwanted and backwards step and I have serious concerns that these plans will not only increase fly-tipping but also bring unwanted rodents and smells to our local area, especially during the summer months.

“The council needs to scrap these plans altogether, thus maintaining, and where possible, work to improve the existing service to increase recycling rates.”

The last time the plans were discussed in public was in June, when cabinet heard a report from Haydock councillor and task force chairman Martin Bond.

Cllr Long said during the meeting that cabinet needed time to ‘reflect’ on the findings.

Leader of the St Helens Conservative group, Allan Jones, said he was not aware that Labour members had agreed to launch the pilot in February 2019.

The Rainford councillor said: “I am surprised the Labour group have chosen to decide behind closed doors and have not informed me when I was part of the panel that looked into it.”