BIN collections could be cut in York to once every three or four weeks under potential new council cuts revealed today.

Rubbish collections are in the spotlight as the authority seeks to balance its budgets, but improvements to kerbside recycling services are on the cards in the same programme.

The proposals come in a raft of ideas set out in a report on "Rewiring Public Services" which is due to go before the city council's cabinet next week, and the bin round cuts are among a of range of suggestions that might be agreed by councillors.

Also on the cards are £35 annual charges for garden waste collections, and including more materials in kerbside recycling rounds. And council staff are looking at more charges for using the authority's tips - especially for people using them from out of the area.

Stewart Halliday, the council's assistant director for transformation and change, wrote in a report to the cabinet: "The conclusions reached are that services could be redesigned to create a more environmentally sustainable approach services and reduce cost.

"It is also clear that residents are keen to their bit to keep the city clean and to recycle but they want the council to make it easier for them to do so."

The paper also looks at adult social care and grounds maintenance work across the city and says that community involvement could grow in the future.

Community management of allotments and community composting schemes built into garden waste proposals are both on the cards.

The papers include detailed business cases for the proposals, and will be considered by the cabinet on Tuesday, December 16. If approved consultations could begin in the New Year before a final decision on which plans to adopt is made by the cabinet.

The proposals are part of the "Rewiring Public Services" programme, which seeks to save £2 million a year from the current £16 million budget for these services. The council says all the options have come from consultations and engagement with residents and communities, and from detailed analysis of each service area.

Changes to street cleaning and litter bin emptying rounds, charges for clinical waste collections, and improvements to the council's commercial waste service so it is more competitive and makes more money for the authority, are also on the cards.

>>> See the council report here, and the relevant annex here.