CONTROVERSIAL budget proposals are due to be discussed at next week's Allerdale full council meeting.

Last week Marion Fitzgerald stepped down from her role as council leader the day after her executive approved the budget for the coming year.

The executive announced that plans to introduce a fortnightly bin collection and charge for garden waste collections in Allerdale could be binned, if proposals are ratified by full council.

And proposals are for council tax to only be increased by one per cent.

Last week coun Fitzgerald said: "Council Tax has been increased by the maximum for several years and our proposals mark a departure from this. It has been a difficult year with the problems inherited from the waste service but despite that we have managed to find savings and deliver this budget.”

But the council tax proposal has been criticised by the Labour opposition, which is expected to reject the budget.

Councillor Alan Smith said: "The issue here is that the Government assumes council tax will be put up to the maximum when allocating funding.

"If we don't increase it, we're effectively losing £100,000 a year, after four years we'll be £400,000 down. The council is a £16million a year business and we have duties such as emptying the bins, cutting the grass etc."

Interim leader Mike Johnson said: "Any good opposition would come up with a different proposal for the budget. Given the circumstances, ours is the best budget proposal."

The full council will meet on Wednesday at 7pm.