CONTENTIOUS plans to introduce a green bin charge in Poole to fill a £324,000 budget black hole have been deferred at full council in the light of a new proposal.

In the first major test for the hung council, Liberal Democrats and Poole People voted in favour of a re-think, defeating the Conservative administration by one vote.

After public consultation which showed the overwhelming majority were against introducing a £31 charge to collect garden waste, the Tories proposed to forge ahead with the scheme, which is the only way it could be extended from the 22,000 recipients to all residents.

However the recommendation to council from the environment overview and scrutiny committee was not to proceed with the charge –while introducing a ban on garden waste in black bins.

After an adjournment while party leaders attempted to come to agreement behind closed doors, councillors returned to the chamber for a heated debate of the amendment.

Lib Dem leader Cllr Mike Brooke proposed that an additional 11,000 green bins could be rolled out across Poole without charge, if they were collected three-weekly instead of fortnightly.

But Cllr Xena Dion, cabinet portfolio holder for environment said: “I’m absolutely convinced after up-turning every stone and looking at every option, the right thing for the people of Poole is to introduce this charge.”

She said: “It’s absolutely nonsensical and purely political to try and defer this at this late stage.”

Cllr Phil Eades (LD) said: “This is all about making money. We are accused here of failing the people of Poole, 65 per cent of whom said they don’t want to pay. I don’t think we are failing these people by deferring it for a time to look at it.”

Cllr Ann Stribley (Con) said: “I’m afraid we have to charge. I would support the lowest possible charge to keep the service cost neutral.”

Cllr Mark Howell, leader of Poole People, who supported the amendment said: “We are encouraging people not to have cars and then saying you have to take your garden waste to the tip, you can’t use the black bin.”

By 21 votes to 20, it was deferred to a meeting of the environment overview and scrutiny committee.