WORKERS within Thurrock Council's waste collection service have contacted Thurrock Nub News calling on residents to take part in a council online survey to avoid cuts to services bring brought in 'through the back door'.

Just over a month since the council's finance portfolio holder Cllr Shane Hebb pledged that the authority was in such a good financial position it would continue to offer weekly bin collections, workers say council officers are proposing cutbacks in the service, a four day week for bin collection staff and some bins might only be emptied every two or three weeks. Residents may have to pay extra to have food waste bins collected.

That appears to fly in the face of what Cllr Hebb told colleagues at a recent cabinet meeting when he said: "Due to our financial handling of the economy in Thurrock, we can confirm we are proposing a modest general council tax increase of 1.49 per cent, something nearly all councils won't be able to do while we continue to provide weekly bin collections.

"We have a balanced budget until 2023 and far from cutting services we are investing in continued improvement including £1.2m for environmental improvements."

Yet in an online survey, which was launched with words of support from Labour's Mike Fletcher, chairman of the council's Waste Management Working Group, who said: "We know that waste collection is a key issue for many of our residents so we want to hear from as many people as possible as we plan for the future. I would encourage everyone to make their voice heard and give us their feedback on this vitally important issue" residents are being asked to consider cuts to services.

The 'Talking Rubbish' is ostensibly about changing the council's recycling policy, with Cllr Fletcher adding: "We want to make sure that we have a waste management process and system which is fit for the future and ensures as much of our waste is recycled as possible."

Yet staff within the department – who two years ago went to war alongside their union Unite with the council's chief executive Lyn Carpenter over changes to operational procedures – say the recycling survey is a pretext to slashing costs and their jobs. The fight got up close and personal with Ms Carpenter dealing directly with staff rather than the union, but in the end – after threats to strike and some bitter, public two-way name calling, Unite brokered a solution.

Members of the staff have now contacted Thurrock Nub News to say old wounds may be reopening and workers were very concerned about a lack of transparency about the real reasons for the survey and the fact it could be used as a weapon against them.

A statement said: "They are looking to change a collection to a four day week with collections potentially being every two to three weeks with brown/food service having to be paid for or it won't be collected in winter months.

"They will want everyone to separate paper/glass and have two more bins at properties for this. The hours will go from six to six so residents will be affected so will the road network.

"This will include job losses and major stretch on the waste collection that is already stretched to breaking point as it is."

You can take part in the survey here.