Councillors in Stockport will decide whether to bring in a garden waste collection charge and increase council tax next week.

The measures are part of the council's yearly budget plans but have caused controversy, with thousands of residents responding to a public consultation on the garden waste charge proposals.

The council's deputy leader Mark Roberts has said "difficult decisions" need to be made to balance the books.

Residents with green bins would have to apply for a permit worth £59 a year to continue getting garden waste collected weekly.

They could also choose to buy a compost bin for a discounted rate to get rid of garden waste that way instead, or take it to household waste recycling centres.

Food-only weekly green bin collections will remain free under the plans.

Around 97,000 homes in the borough have a green bin and council chiefs think more than 40 percent of these will sign up to pay for the garden waste charge.

Stockport town hall (Image - Nub News)

Blue bin collections for paper and cardboard are also set to change from fortnightly to every four weeks.

These changes are expected to save the council up to £2m.

Stockport would face closing every library in the borough to make the same amount of savings, Coun Roberts previously said.

The borough is also planning to lift council tax by five percent, adding £100 to yearly bills for Band D households.

Other changes in the budget plans include 'fairer charging' for adult social care, with a focus on prevention and the independence of clients, and making general efficiency and productivity savings of more than £3m.

Councillors will debate and vote on the proposals at a mammoth budget meeting at the town hall on February 27.

Stockport council is under no overall control, but is led by a Lib Dem minority administration.

New fees are also planned at around half of Stockport's free car parks, but this was part of last year's council budget.

In total, Stockport council says it needs to find up to £60m of savings by 2028/29.