I would like to bring to the notice of the council tax payers of Oxford, the con by Oxford City Council over the new brown wheelie bins issued for garden waste.

I was charged £35 for one, which I reluctantly paid, as, despite being an 80 year-old pensioner, I was told I did not qualify for a free bin.

I was under the impression that I had purchased the bin and it had became my property. But when it eventually arrived, a letter was handed to me saying that it was rented property belonging to the council and had to be paid for annually.

None of this was explained to me at the time of purchase. I was also under the impression that the council was obliged to remove my waste as part of my council tax payment.

Is this a stealth tax to make good the fact that they could not increase the council tax this year?

Frederick Jones, Balfour Road, Oxford