A municipal waste authority singled out for censure by communities secretary Eric Pickles has hit back at charges of 'municipal autocracy' over the amount it is levying in council tax charges.

The Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA) was lambasted by Mr Pickles in a speech earlier in the week for having 'forced up [council tax] by a botched PFI deal', which, he claimed meant residents are paying double market prices for fortnightly bin collections.