Slop buckets thrown out. Weekly bin collections scrapped. More Wolverhampton council cuts revealed

The city council describes the changes to its waste and recycling service – which places one of the the biggest financial burdens on the authority – as 'significant', and blames 'massive' cuts in funding from central government.

Wolverhampton leader Roger Lawrence said: "Making cuts is not an easy task for any council."

It comes as the authority has moved to quash rumours that this year's Christmas lights fireworks display had been cancelled to save cash.

Council tax is to rise by 3.99 per cent across the city and services will still face £13.5 million cuts next year.

The current annual cost of providing the waste collection service is £11.5m which council bosses say is no longer affordable because of government funding cuts.

In addition, a five-year £2.3m government grant which enabled the city to maintain weekly collections will end in April and will not be replaced.

Tory leader Wendy Thompson said: "Cut backs are going up, cut backs to things like waste services that are directly relevant to our residents.

"Our residents are not going to be happy about this at all."

Almost 100,000 homes across the city were given 23-litre slop buckets in 2011 at a cost of £600,000 to encourage people to recycle food waste.

But they have proved unpopular – with 5,000 households refusing to even take them.

Councillor Phil Bateman said: "The people of Wednesfield North did not take to slop buckets and I don't think their withdrawal will cause too much grief."

The council said the food waste service was expensive and had a very low take-up. The move to scrap them is one of 32 proposals designed to save £13.5m in the latest round of service cuts.

Meanwhile members of the city's Pubwatch scheme say they were told by a council official that this year's fireworks display at the Christmas lights switch on had been cancelled to save around £5,000.

Shaun Keasey, who runs Gorgeous, said: "It is one of the few events that really brings the city together and we were furious when we were told it had been cancelled."

But, council spokesman Oliver Bhurrut said: "There are no plans to cancel the fireworks. The display will go ahead as usual."