Uncertainty over the future of waste collection is hindering delivery, a leading district councillor has claimed.

Writing in The MJ, District Councils' Network chairman Sam Chapman-Allen said delays to waste reforms have left councils unable take decisions on how to run their services.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' (DEFRA) plans – for which councils have already waited two years – were expected before the local elections, but now face further delays.

According to local government sources, the Government's plans for seven separate collections for waste and recycling have been wrestled down to six, but DEFRA is still determined to introduce central diktat over waste services.

Cllr Chapman-Allen said: ‘I urge the Government to respect local leaders and give us the freedom to build the system that works best for our residents and local environment.'

Editor Heather Jameson says there is often a political divide between the two main parties, but they both come together when it comes to central, top-down control.