Calls for litter bin cuts to be reversed have been voted down by councillors – but the council leadership could change the plans anyway.

A petition signed by some 1,800 people opposing plans to reduce litter bins across Wokingham Borough was the subject of heated debate at a full council meeting on Thursday, October 19.

Wokingham Borough Council has proposed to get rid of 150 bins across the borough as part of efforts to cut back on spending. But the hundreds of people who signed the petition say litter bins are already overflowing.

Conservative opposition councillor Pauline Jorgensen said that when the cuts were attempted in July they led to bags of dog poo piling up on the streets. She said: “It was a terrible mess.

“We came across an overfull bin in Woodley which had dog poo bags piled around it. It was next to houses and could clearly be smelled from the doorstep, and it wasn’t a pleasant smell.”

READ MORE: Wokingham litter bins: 1,800 people oppose council plans

Yet Liberal Democrat councillor Stephen Newton argued such cuts were made necessary as the council’s finding from government isn’t enough to cope with rising costs.

He said: “Some of the difficulties we are all facing are a direct consequence of choices made by the Conservative government.

“We are all suffering under this Conservative government. But despite the challenges, this Liberal Democrat-led council is determined to make Wokingham an even better place to live. This does mean looking at council services to make them more efficient.”

Liberal Democrat and Labour Party councillors voted not to adopt the petition’s request, with council leaders arguing that no decision had yet been made.

Council leader Stephen Conway did propose an alternative motion to note the petition and residents’ concerns.

The leading group of councillors – the executive committee – is set to decide on proposed changes to street cleaning, including cuts to litter bins, on Thursday, October 26.

They are likely to vote to implement several changes, including reducing the frequency at which recycling banks are cleaned and grass verges are cut – but not to reduce the litter bins.

But they are being recommended to set up a committee known as a “task and finish group” to look into how the council manages its litter bins and come back to them with other proposals.

That means the council could in the future decide not to go ahead with the current plans to get rid of 150 litter bins.

Deputy council leader Prue Bray said: “Taking everything into account and weighing all the evidence is how the executive will approach making the decision on litter bins at next week’s meeting.”