KERBSIDE recycling will not be expanded to cover nearly every home in Wyre Forest after councillors refused Government cash, claiming the scheme was unpopular enough already.

About 4,900 homes will continue to be excluded from the controversial system after members of the cabinet at Wyre Forest District Council said they could not justify putting up Council Tax to see 99 per cent of homes covered.

They had been offered a one-off grant of about £377,000 by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs to buy more vehicles and employ six more members of staff.

The money, however, was only for the first year and then the council would have had to stump up about £160,000-a-year running costs, putting an extra £3.87 on Council Tax bills.

Conservative council leader and cabinet member Stephen Clee said: "We could not support introducing more people to the scheme when it is unpopular with those who have got it.

"The costs are too great for so few properties."

He said the scheme - which last year made wheelie bin collections fortnightly and asked householders to put rubbish into two plastic crates for weekly collections - was a mistake by the previous Health Concern administration. The Conservatives had opposed the change to fortnightly bin collections.

"They rushed ahead without due care and attention and tied the hands of the district council for years," he said.

Councillor Clee said areas presently not covered included flats in the Hoobrook and Horsefair areas of Kidderminster, homes on the Walshes estate in Stourport and hard-to-reach properties in Stourport and Bewdley and outlying rural areas.

A total of 35,100 homes currently take part in the recycling scheme, representing 84 per cent of Wyre Forest properties.

Cabinet member with responsibility for waste management, Marcus Hart, added: "We weren't prepared to spend that money when we have given a manifesto commitment not to increase Council Tax next year."

Of the 6,000 properties not part of the scheme, the cabinet agreed last Thursday that 1,100 should be brought on board without the Defra cash.

However, a report by council officers warned members that although recycling targets were presently being exceeded, refusing the cash could see the council stray off course in the future.

They were told the authority was at risk of missing the target of 25 per cent of all waste recycled by 2006/07, which could cost the council in the future through fines and a loss of grants.