Kirklees Council leader has admitted it may have been wrong not to have a contingency to collect household waste after last week’s strike.

Up to 40,000 bins went uncollected when local government workers went on strike last Thursday which potentially ‘saved’ Kirklees around half a million in wages and associated costs.

Kirklees did not have a contingency plan and told refuse staff they would not have to catch up and instead collections would continue as timetabled.

Clr David Sheard said: “Having no provision, in hindsight that may have been wrong.

“One suggestion I saw was to swap the green collection with the grey bin collection but people need to be told so that they don’t put the wrong bin out.”

Clr Ridgway, Colne Valley Lib Dem, told Clr Sheard that the council had managed to remove indoor bowling from Huddersfield’s £36m sport centre in a week, so they could swap a bin collection in a week.

Around half of the 40,000 bins uncollected were grey household waste bins and the remainder green recycling bins.

Council officials have said that they have no contingency plans and it will be next Thursday before the rubbish is carted away – making it a month since the grey bins were last emptied.

Afftected areas in Huddersfield are Marsden, Linthwaite, Bolster Moor, Golcar, Longwood, Salendine Nook, Oakes, Lindley, Marsh, Crosland Moor, Beaumont Park, Lockwood, Netherton, Honley, New Mill, Wooldale, Scholes, Hepworth, Birds Edge, High Flatts, Upper and Lower Denby, Denby Dale, Emley, Flockton, Lepton, Almondbury, Fartown, Fixby, Ferndale, Sheepridge and Mirfield.

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