Labour councillors have pledged to look at bringing bin collections in Northampton under local authority control, if elected.
The Guildhall opposition party have been strongly critical of the performance of private refuse collection firm Enterprise, which Labour councillors hold responsible for missed rubbish collections.
Councillor Terry Wire, the group leader, said: “If Labour is elected with a majority at the next borough council election in May 2015 we will seriously look at whether this service should be brought back in-house.
“Like the rest of the residents in this town the Labour Group is rapidly losing confidence in this contract.
“Obviously the current weather situation is the exception; however it doesn’t excuse the previous inept performances.”
The Labour group claim Tory Cabinet member, Councillor John Caswell, apologised to full council last night, after Councillor Wire described the Christmas refuse collection was “a farce”.
Hundreds of residents in Moulton Leys and Duston, among other areas, had left out uncollected bins for days after assuming that, as in previous festive periods, black refuse bins would be collected two weeks in a row.
Councillor Wire said: “Meeting after meeting Councillor Caswell keeps offering his apologies for Enterprise and it is now wearing thin. Time after time there is no improvement despite his fine words.”
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