“Think again” before reducing litter bins and grass mowing, MP John Redwood has told Wokingham Borough Council, days before a consultation on the spending cuts is set to close.

Some 150 public litter bins could be axed across the borough, while others could be emptied less frequently under plans being considered by the council.

The council’s leaders say this is part of cost-saving measures designed to protect services for more vulnerable residents. A public consultation on the changes is set to end on Sunday, September 7.

Now, Wokingham’s Conservative MP has hit out at the Liberal Democrat-led council. Mr Redwood said: “Wokingham Borough Council is wrong to be cutting spending on litter, grass cutting and environmental maintenance.

“Wokingham is a pleasant place to live, with the green environment around our homes and shops an important part of the attraction. I urge the Lib Dem led Administration to think again.”

Mr Redwood also argued that the council had more “spending power per head” than nearby Reading, Bracknell Forest, Windsor and Hampshire councils. He said it had benefited from extra government grants and increased funding.

He said: “I was pleased with the large uplift in social care grant awarded for the current year. There was an increase of 73 per cent.

“The Council like others gets large sums for schools from the National Funding formula, and we have recently been awarded extra capital for two new SEN schools where extra places are needed. The school's grant has recently gone up to £107 million.

“Wokingham qualified for an extra £1.1m of Funding Guarantee Grant this year. Lib Dem councillors never seem to mention any of this money.”

READ MORE: Labour warns Wokingham council over public litter bin cuts

But Liberal Democrats point out that inflation has outstripped the income the council gets from central government funding and council tax.

In a recent meeting, councillor Imogen Shepherd-DuBey, responsible for finance, said: “We have a significant challenge coming from rising inflation, and our current potential revenue overspend is approximately £2.9 million this year.

“It is why we are no longer able to fund the things we used to be able to do, and we are also having to shelve many of the things we would really like to do for our residents. This is why we have had to raise car parking fees, reduce litter bins and the non-statutory transport cost.”

She added: “Wokingham receives the absolute least from the national government out of all of the councils in the country.”

Councillors on the ruling executive committee will likely consider the consultation and vote on the changes at a meeting on September 28.