Stockport council's leadership has been accused of 'making policy on the back of a fag packet' following a major bin announcement. But top councillors said there would be no cuts to services as a result of the change.

From the beginning of December 2026, blue bins for paper and cardboard recycling will be collected every two weeks instead of every four weeks across Stockport. The council moved to four weekly collections due to financial pressures on its budget for day-to-day services in 2025.

Earlier this week, councillor Jake Austin, who is the cabinet member overseeing bin services, said he was delighted to announce the move and feedback had been 'loud and clear' that people 'want a service that makes it easier to recycle'. Council leader Mark Roberts said: "It is critical people know the Liberal Democrats will listen to the feedback given and strive to make a positive difference wherever we can."

The announcement this week has come after weeks of criticism of the local authority. Recent controversial enforcement of a long-standing policy around collecting bins with open lids led to hundreds of people being left with uncollected bins.

Stockport council has acknowledged it failed to tell people what was happening in advance and apologised. The change was brought in to make sure bin crews are safe when collecting bins across the borough.

Opposition parties across the borough have welcomed the decision but questioned how it has been funded and the timing of the decision. Councillor Matt Wynne, from the Edgeley Community Association, accused the Liberal Democrat council of 'making policy on the back of a fag packet' and claimed he found out about the change through a Facebook post.

Labour councillor Rachel Wise, who leads the borough's second largest party, said: "It is the right thing to do and it is what our residents have been asking for but this is a U-turn.

"Labour councillors have been told for well over a year that a return to fortnightly collections was unaffordable, with figures running into the hundreds of thousands of pounds. Now the council administration has decided it can be done after all.

"The honest question is whether we would be here at all if the summer had not gone the way it did."

She added: "So let's be clear about what is being announced here. This is not a council improving a service. It is a council fixing a problem it created, months after residents told them it needed fixing, and presenting it as good news."

Councillor Liz Crix, who leads the Green Party, said she welcomed the move to more recycling, but added: "It raises questions because this was part of the budget cuts. It raises questions as to whether they will be able to keep within the budget that was set.

In response to the criticism, councillor Jake Austin, who oversees bin services, said: "Residents told us what they wanted to see from their bin service, and we're delivering it. Prudent use of the departmental budget means we are able to introduce fortnightly blue-bin collections without cuts to any other services.

"This Liberal Democrat administration made this decision as quickly as is practicable in the face of recent changes to the bin service. I am proud we have led on that decision.

"The alternative would've been another six months of delay for the improved service residents are asking for. Given that all parties have universally welcomed the change to fortnightly collections as a positive action, I am confident we have taken the right approach."

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