A COMMUNITY leader is angry she was left out of discussions after it was revealed there is no money to install new bins in Knutsford.

As reported in the Guardian, Cheshire East Council officers spoke at the town council’s environment meeting and said the borough could replace only damaged bins.

Yvonne Bancroft, chairman of Knutsford in Bloom, said the request had come from her group, and she expected to be involved in the talks.

She said: “It seems strange to me that, as chairman of Knutsford in Bloom, we were not given the courtesy of an invitation to attend and take part in the debate, especially as the request had come from our group.

“Bins fall under our remit in preparation for the North West in Bloom judges inspection working with the town council and Cheshire East Council.”

Yvonne also wanted to share her ideas with council officers about where existing bins could be relocated, such as outside the civic centre, next to the bus stop on Adams Hill and at the top of King Street.

She said: “I’m conscious of the change in climate over the past couple of years and the change in working practice at Cheshire East, so accept the funding issue.

“However, we could work a lot more effectively if we all worked together.”

Knutsford in Bloom, a volunteer group that creates floral displays, is supported by the town council, and this year received a grant of £6,400.

Clr Jan Nicholson, chairman of the environment committee, said: “We extended an invitation to Cheshire East Council to talk about a number of things regarding the street scene.

“There was a wide remit, and it was during the course of the discussions this situation with the bins was brought up.

“It evolved from those discussions. There wasn’t an agenda item regarding Knutsford in Bloom.”

A spokesman for Cheshire East Council said: “When news bins are required to replace damaged ones they will be provided.

“However, when considering requests for extra bins we would always look to tackle the source of the problem first.

“It is also important to say that putting extra bins in place is not always the answer.

“For example, it may be more appropriate to redistribute existing bins, to alter the frequency in which certain bins are emptied, to increase local awareness of littering issues or ultimately step up enforcement actions to tackle people who litter.

“Obviously if there still remains a proven need for extra bins they will be provided.

“Each town does have dedicated resources to keeping it clean, and we are always willing to discuss how these resources could be used better.

“This is something we will be reviewing in Knutsford, and would welcome the involvement of the town council in this process.”