LABOUR has criticised Burnley Council's new multi-party administration after losing a vote on household waste recycling and street cleaning on the Mayor's casting vote.

The opposition group moved a motion at last week's Full Council meeting to add £720,000 to the borough's2019/2020 captial budget for the purchase of wheeled bins and paper and card collection equipment.

It would also have ring-fenced any resulting efficiency savings to be split half for recycling and street cleaning and the other for local action to combat climate change.

After a tied vote the borough's Mayor, Liberal Democrat Cllr Anne Kelly, cast her against the Labour motion defeating it.

Labour group leader Cllr Mark Townsend said, “Clean streets and the impact of climate change are among the top priorities for residents and that’s why Labour are looking to allocate any available resources to projects in these areas. Unfortunately the ruling coalition allocated the cash to plug part of the black hole in the future finances instead.”

Cllr Maggie Lishman, Deputy Leader and executive member for Resources, said: "The work around the new recycling arrangements was done under the previous Labour administration. At no time did they make any suggestion possible savings would be ring-fenced.

"Nor did they ever mention a serious attempt to tackle climate change. It was cheap politics and irresponsible of Labour."