Enfield’s council leader has defended a move to cut bin rounds after the decision was branded undemocratic by the Conservative opposition leader.

Council leader Cllr Nesil Caliskan insisted the local authority was listening to residents’ views and had been up-front about the tough financial choices that had prompted the move to fortnightly collections.

Her comments came after Conservative leader Cllr Joanne Laban accused the council of acting like a dictatorship after approving the plans in the face of public opposition.

Two-thirds of people who responded to a consultation said they wanted to keep weekly collections.

But Cllr Caliskan insisted the consultation was conducted transparently and said the council would respond to the concerns members of the public had raised.

She said: “The cabinet report was very thorough and detailed – it was one of the most thorough reports I have seen.

“The consultation was very clear on the principles that we used to make the decision.

“We know people have opinions and concerns about street cleaning and waste collections. We wanted to make sure when we did make a decision, we could address some of their concerns.

“The local authority has been open and transparent about it, and it is about the cuts we have to make. We have been forced to make £18 million of cuts this year.

“Because of all the cuts, it is really difficult to find these savings now. I don’t think people realise how difficult things are in terms of budgets.

“We could have gone for a different option. The difference is, with option seven there is an extra £500,000 we can reinvest in street cleaning.

“There has been no investment in street cleaning for 10 years. Fly-tipping and the state of roads is important to residents – particularly in the east of the borough.”

Cllr Caliskan said the consultation was the most thorough it could possibly have been in order that there was no legal challenge – which would have cost the council money.

She added that the council was looking to boost recycling and pointed out that the roll-out of a similar scheme in Ealing had upped the borough’s recycling rate to 53 per cent.

Policies aimed at helping larger families will remain in place, and the council leader said the weekly food waste collections would help to minimise unpleasant smells.

Cllr Caliskan said she would be happy for the Conservatives to come up with an alternative that would enable them to keep weekly collections.

She said: “I am not willing to make cuts to children’s services or to adult social care.

“If we did not have cuts, we would not be doing this. We are down to the bone now.”

The council leader pledged to ensure residents are kept updated and informed so the transition to the new rounds takes place as smoothly as possible.