Jean Fooks, the councillor in charge of Oxford's waste collection arrangements, has rubbished claims by the Greens that the city's recycling target has been lowered on the quiet.

Last week, the Greens said Oxford City Council's corporate plan contained a household recycling target of 38.1 per cent - which had been lowered from 45 per cent.

However, it emerged today that the figure had not been updated and in fact still stands at 45 per cent.

It had been hoped the target could be reached by April, but the Town Hall admitted that would now not happen.

The current rate stands at about 38 per cent.

Green city councillor Sid Phelps had accused the Liberal Democrat administration of "quietly trimming" the figures.

But Ms Fooks said: "The figure in the corporate plan is wrong and has not been updated. I am trying to get to the bottom of how that figure was arrived at."

Since the introduction of wheelie bins and fortnightly collections in November last year, city recycling rates have shot up from 19 per cent to a high of 40 per cent.