Charges for people wanting to swap wheelie bins and an increase in refuse collection fees are among measures proposed to balance the council's budget.

Enfield Borough Council plans to charge £51 for someone to swap a wheeled bin at their home for a larger or slimmer bin.

The fee for the formerly free service has also been coupled with an increase in the price of bulky waste collection from a £28 to £36 as the council hopes to balance its books.

Councillor Joanne Laban, shadow cabinet member for environment, said:  “The proposals are absolutely ludicrous. These cost cutting measures are counter intuitive because it will lead to people dumping more bulky items such as mattresses, tables and chairs and the rubbish they cannot fit in their wheeled bins. The council will have to spend more money on fly tip crews to pick the extra rubbish up.

“The Labour council, by slapping a cost on upgrading your bin, gives no incentive to residents to get a larger bin to recycle more if they wish. The hike in bulky waste collection fees will only lead to more fly tipping. These proposals show a lack of commitment to the cleanliness of the streets.”

In response to the claims by Cllr Laban, the council admitted it is making “difficult decisions” as a result of government cuts.

A council spokesman said: “Difficult decisions are having to be made about many council services as a result of the scale of the funding cuts we face from central government and increased cost pressures.

“This proposal is part of a package of measures designed to make the savings required to balance the budget while at the same time protecting our excellent front line council services.”