A BID to lower the cost of garden waste collections for pensioners has been rejected.

Currently a brown bin garden waste collection service costs Thurrock residents £80 a year.

The bins are collected for 46 weeks of the year but the council has proposed to increase this to 52 weeks at no extra cost to encourage more people to sign up to increase revenue.

Cllr Andrew Jefferies, who as former council leader introduced the paid for service in April, called on the council to give additional help for pensioners.

Speaking at corporate services overview and scrutiny meeting on Wendesday (20 November), where budget savings proposals were put forward, Cllr Jefferies said: "I'm pleased the uptake in subscriptions has been high. I wonder if the portfolio holder has given any consideration to giving a discount to pensioners who are struggling to make ends meet by giving them a 50 per cent discount on their brown bin collection?

"I think we'd see an uptake after all it's mainly older people who live in some of our properties in the borough that have substantial gardens."

In response, Cllr Victoria Holloway, councillor responsible for place and environment, said: "I wish I could. It's definitely something that I've instructed officers to look at, not just for pensioners but other communities and groups that we would like to offer discounts to.

"Personally I would absolutely love to. Unfortunately, with the scale of the savings that need to be made, not just this year but year on year, I really wish I could do that but I can't.

"We are listening to residents as much as we can. That's why we're extending the service from 46 weeks to 52 at no additional cost to residents.

"That is a cost to us but it's a small cost we can absorb. We just can't absorb the level of cost it would be for a 50 per cent discount."

Following the meeting Cllr Jefferies took to social media to express his "disappointment".