A PROLONGED survey about Colchester’s waste collections is “skewed” in favour of introducing wheelie bins, it has been claimed.

Colchester Council re-launched the survey last month after it was started last summer but then halted.

The council said this was to allow it to update its waste strategy, despite it already employing market research company Qa to question focus groups.

The survey has now been started again and residents across the borough have the chance to take part.

But Sue Lissimore, shadow cabinet member for waste, said: “As time has progressed it has become a pro-wheelie bin survey.

“Surveys are very difficult to write because if you ask 100 people what they want, you get 100 different answers back.

“But the complaints I am getting from residents are that is it skewed towards wheelie bins.

“The questions we are being asked are very much for wheelie bins.”

Mrs Lissimore said it was important residents filled the latest survey in so their views were heard.

She added: “My issue with wheelie bins is Colchester Council has never been able to come back to me and say who would have them and who wouldn’t – for example would streets or entire wards opt out?

“Until I get answers like that from the council I can’t say wheelie bins would be good for Colchester.”

But Dominic Graham, the councillor responsible for waste, denied the survey was skewed to try to get people to favour wheelie bins.

“I dispute that entirely,” he said.

“It is a genuine consultation – we have made no provision in the budget to buy wheelie bins in the future.

“They are going to cost millions of pounds and we have to do a significant piece of work to fund them if that were the decision to come in.”

Mr Graham said the waste consultation was “paused” by him last autumn after his administration started it.

“We didn’t have a vision in place. We asked the task and finish group to do a piece of work, that was fine, but it wasn’t clear which direction we wanted to go in.”

He estimated the cost of effectively re-running the consultation process would be minimal.

Earlier this week, Colchester’s Labour Group said in its manifesto it wouldn’t rule them out in areas where a majority wanted them.

All residents are invited to give their views through the online survey at www.colchester.gov.uk/recyclingsurvey between now and 5pm on Friday June 3.

Results of the consultation will inform recommendations to the council's Cabinet meeting in September and development of a strategy for the coming years.