More than 2,000 people have signed up for Oxford’s controversial new garden waste collection scheme.

Residents have already joined the £35-a-year Oxford City Council scheme which is set to go live across the city on May 3.

The scheme replaces the free, re-useable green sack.

Critics have accused the council of making the new system too expensive and ignoring people who live in terraced houses.

But last night John Tanner, board member for cleaner, greener Oxford, said the authority was forced to start charging because of austerity cuts.

He said: “I am very sorry that we have to start charging to collect garden waste.

“However, I am thrilled that so many people have already signed up.

“The council is having its grant cut by a quarter in two years and we have to make up the money somewhere. I share people’s anger that we are having to charge but I think the alternatives would have been worse.”

The subscription service offers a 140 or 240 litre brown wheelie bin.

Residents can also buy non- reusable compostable bags, which cost £25 for a pack of 10 or £35 for a pack of 20.

But Lib Dem councillor Clark Brundin, who lives in a terraced house in Observatory Street, hit out. He told Monday’s full council meeting: “Those living in terraced houses with no front gardens, and therefore not able to accommodate the wheelie bins, have the alternative of compostable bags.

“The annual charge for the collection of a 240-litre bin every two weeks, which is 6,240 litres per annum, is £35.

“At a cost of £35 for 20 sacks with a capacity of 75 litres, the annual charge for a similar volume is £145 – more than four times as much.”

Meanwhile district councils across the county have confirmed waste collection times for the Easter period.

Waste collections in South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse will run a day later than normal from tomorrow to May 6.

Waste crews will work as normal on April 29. Collections on that day, and any Saturday following a bank holiday, will start from 6am, an hour earlier than usual.

Collections in West Oxfordshire will be normal tomorrow, but will then run a day later until May 9.

Bin collections in Oxford and Cherwell districts will be unaffected.