RESIDENTS in Hyndburn could be asked to vote in another referendum - to decide what they want, what they 'wheelie wheelie want' when it comes to refuse collection.

Following the referendum which gave people in Great Harwood the chance to vote on the sale of land for a new Co-op supermarket, Hyndburn Council leader Peter Britcliffe said there could be a people's decision over whether to introduce wheelie bins.

Coun Britcliffe said the council aimed to get more people involved in decision-making and said he hoped the referendum would stimulate interest in local issues and improve the turnout at future elections.

He added: "We could use the referendum to involve people in future. The issue of introducing wheelie bins seems quite controversial and could well lead to a referendum."

The wheelie bin issue has already proved divisive within council chambers. The Labour group had to rely on the support of independent councillor Adrian Shurmer when they voted for a report into the provision of wheelie bins.

A report has told councillors that when new bins were introduced by other councils, they were unpopular with residents at first. But once 'teething problems' had been sorted out, people generally thought they were an improvement on bin bags.

The report stated that wheelie bins protect rubbish from vermin and are more hygienic than bin bags. But the borough's narrow back streets could limit the effectiveness of a wheelie bin system, with bin wagons unable to drive down many of them.

The Conservative-run council has already pledged to bring people closer to local decision-making, and in August it announced plans to give towns in Hyndburn their own councils.

Under the reorganisation, Great Harwood and Rishton, Clayton-le-Moors and Church, Accrington North, including Huncoat, Accrington South, including Baxenden and Oswaldtwistle, would all have their own councils under the Hyndburn Council umbrella.

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