Powys County Council has been called on to provide clarity over its new bin and recycling collection routes, after it emerged the authority cannot say how much money the changes are expected to save.

The changes, described by the council as “new and improved collection routes,” are due to begin on March 2 for many households across Powys.

James Evans MS, who represents Brecon and Radnorshire, said residents deserve transparency and accountability from the council.

The council also confirmed that a booklet delivered to households explaining the changes was produced by WRAP Cymru at a stated overall cost of £75,000. The cost was covered via a Welsh Government programme.

Mr Evans said: “Residents are being asked to adapt to service changes, but the council cannot even clearly say what the savings will be or what success looks like. That is not good enough.

“If the Powys Lib Dems are reorganising routes in the name of efficiency, it should publish what it expects to save, how performance will be measured, and how quickly residents can expect teething problems to be fixed.

“Whether money comes from Powys budgets directly or via Welsh Government-funded programmes, it is still public money and people deserve transparency, clear accountability and a service they can rely on.”

Cllr Charlton previously said that optimisation of collection routes is carried out every few years to ensure efficiency and respond to changing circumstances, including changes in recycling habits and new vehicle requirements.

She asked residents to be patient during the initial rollout, saying: “There will inevitably be some issues with rolling out new collection routes, both for the crews and residents, so we do ask for some patience and understanding during the first few weeks, but it should very quickly settle down, with residents seeing an improved service.”