JOBS could be cut in a bid to tackle a £1.2 million overspend on Basildon Council's budget as a result of controversial changes to waste collections, the leader has revealed.

According to Gavin Callaghan, Labour leader of the council, the previous Tory administration’s new waste scheme, rolled out last November, has led to a financial blackhole because of extra trucks, crews, and fuel.

Four additional waste collections crews have been hired for £600,000, an additional £200,000 spent on fuel costs and £400,000 in agency staff has put “strain on the council’s budget”, he claims.

A consultation is currently underway which could see weekly black bin collections reinstated, but Mr Callaghan admitted that waste collection staff could be cut.

He said: “We must change as every other week people are putting their rubbish out and they have five bin lorries coming to collect six different waste containers.

“It is horribly inefficient, and we must reduce the number of trucks and crews to collect the waste.

“If I am going to reduce the £1.2 million down, I must get rid of crews, fuel and agency costs.

“The quickest thing is to cut the crews. We must quicken the process of collecting the rubbish. We have the consultation going back to weekly and we are looking at how to speed up the recycling collection, that is, the round trips for the refuse guys.

“The service is inefficient.”

The consultation is set to end on September 29 and Mr Callaghan claims the council will be five per cent over budget by the end of the year if changes are not made.

He said: “The good news is we were elected with a mandate to change the bin system, and it is not only because of the rubbish on the streets that gives us incentive to fix this.

“The current service is more confusing, more costly, less efficient and a disaster.”

Tory councillor formerly responsible for waste management, Kevin Blake, has claimed Callaghan’s comments are “rich” and that the waste collection changes saved “three million pounds”.

He said: “When it was more crews, it was budgeted for and they were fine with it. It was not a problem and is rubbish like everything else they were saying. The 151 officer said we were a sound financial council and we remained that way.”