Salford council currently empties domestic waste in black bins every three weeks, but Kersal and Broughton Park independent Coun Andrew Walters says households in the area are larger than in other parts of the city and need more regular collections.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the current collection schedule leads to bins overflowing and rubbish ending up on the streets, with some families having to pay for private waste collections.
He has called to set up a new ‘Town of Broughton Park Council’ to bring back weekly black bin collections and give locals more say over services in the area.
“The Salford average household size is about two, ours is five times that, and yet we’re given the same three-weekly [black] bin collections,” he told the LDRS.
“That simply doesn’t work, it leads to overflowing bins, fly-tipping, and health hazards, then we get blamed for the mess.
“The town council will bring back weekly bin collections, no more waiting three weeks, no more pretending our needs are the same as everywhere else.”
A petition for a new town council in the area was handed to Salford council in February, which Coun Walters said at the time was signed by around 1,000 residents.
As well as bin collections, Coun Walters has said a new town council would give residents more control over matters such as street cleanliness, parks, and planning.
The petition for the proposed town council in Broughton Park set the clock ticking on a process which needs a response from Salford council within 12 months.
Each council ward in Salford is represented by three elected councillors, and the council is run by Labour under the leadership of city mayor Paul Dennett.
During a meeting at Salford Civic Centre on April 30, councillors in Salford agreed to a Community Governance Review – laying out the next steps in the formal process before a decision is made.
Coun Walters added: “This is a community that pays in, participates, and takes pride in its neighbourhood.
“By approving the Community Governance Review, Salford has formally acknowledged the case for Broughton Park to take more control of its own destiny.
“For our community, this is about dignity, accountability, and the basic right to shape the services that affect our daily lives.
“We’re not asking for favours. We’re demanding the right to serve ourselves better. The right to sweep our own streets, clean our own parks, manage our own CCTV – and yes, collect our own bins – without relying on remote authorities that don’t understand our lives.”
The area included in the proposal covers parts of two wards, the Kersal and Broughton Park ward, and the Broughton ward.
Although the proposal calls for a ‘town’ council, it would actually be set up as a parish council initially, a step required by law according to a Salford council report on the review.
But questions have been raised about how a new council in the city would be funded.
The report on the review stated: ‘Parish councils do not automatically receive funding from central government or the principal authority.
‘Instead, they can be funded from the principal authority’s available resources/existing revenue streams, which would have implications on the level of resources available to fund council services; or be funded by a precept.
‘This is an additional sum levied on the council tax bill for each property in the parish.’
The report added: ‘The Broughton Park petition asks that in order to avoid residents being taxed twice for the same services, Salford City Council should either reduce council tax for the residents of Broughton Park, or pay a grant to the parish council, or put a Service Level Agreement in place.’
The report also stated that the cost of the review could be as much as £40,000.
But Salford Labour told the LDRS the cost of the review could be higher than that, up to a figure of £75,000.
A final report on the proposal will be shared at a Salford council meeting in January 2026.
A Salford council spokesperson said: “Elected members have now agreed the proposed approach to deliver a statutory Community Governance Review in response to a petition for a parish council in the Broughton Park area.
“We will share more detail on the consultation, including dates in the next few weeks.”
