Residents are being asked for their views on Trafford Council's plan to introduce subscription fees for garden waste collections.

The council is proposing this measure to address a £25m funding gap in its 2025/26 budget.

Over the past 15 years, the local authority has faced more than £300m in revenue cuts, while seeing an increase in demand for essential services.

The council has now launched a consultation to gather residents' views on the proposed charge.

Cllr Stephen Adshead, executive member for highways, environmental, and traded services, said: "A charge to collect garden waste is something more than three quarters of councils now do.

“We’ve managed to hold off bringing back a subscription for several years now but our finances are such that it’s now something we are having to bring in.

"Please give us your opinion – we will take all comments into account.”

For more information about the proposals and to have your say, go to https://tinyurl.com/mwmfxebw.

If implemented, the proposed charge will be £45 for people who pay online, with an additional £5 charge for those who pay through other means.

Cllr Adshead said: "Applying online helps to save on administration costs.

"If we can keep our costs low, we can keep the charge as low as possible.

"We believe our charge is lower than the average garden waste collection charge."

For those who choose to opt into the service, garden waste will continue to be collected every week.

Cllr Adshead said: "It’s important to note that we are only introducing a charge for garden waste collection.

"We will not – and cannot by law – introduce charges for any other of our bin collections.

"We will also continue to have a free weekly collection of food waste."