SOUTHAMPTON'S controversial fortnightly rubbish collection is set to be binned for good after the council leader pledged to abide by next week's final crunch vote.

Opposition parties joined forces on Wednesday to restore weekly bin rounds in addition to fortnightly collections of recyclable waste.

But civic leader Councillor Adrian Vinson said the Liberal Democrats' flagship initiative would be discussed and voted on for one final time at another council meeting within the next few days.

He told the Daily Echo he would abide by the outcome and not use powers as the ruling party to push it through.

It would mean, however, the sixth about-face since they came to power.

Over the past few months civic chiefs have scrapped plans to axe football pitches, close two car parks, introduce night-time parking charges, slash opening hours at Oaklands Swimming Pool in Lordshill and shut down St Mary's Leisure Centre.

Cllr Vinson said if weekly bin collections were restored it would leave the council discredited but not his party.

He accused Labour of going back on a joint agreement to abide with results of a consultation with existing twin-bin users, including a MORI poll.

"If they voted against it again, it would become council policy and the council's executive would have to implement it," he said. "It would leave the council in a discredited position.

"We may well be defeated on the issue but we certainly would not be discredited. We have clearly won the argument and are clearly in touch with the majority of the views of those that have experienced the scheme."

He added he would not override the vote by getting his cabinet to push through the project.

Last week the Daily Echo revealed how the poll of residents in areas where the scheme was already operating, such as Bassett, Swaythling and parts of Shirley, was massively in favour of the project.

But Labour and Tory chiefs claimed the poll was flawed and that residents in areas where the scheme is not under way should have been consulted too.

They claimed the districts, which contain high numbers of flats and houses in multiple occupation would not be suitable for fortnightly collections of rubbish.

Labour leader, Councillor June Bridle, said if Cllr Vinson were to push the scheme through his cabinet, his leadership of the council would come under threat.

"It would put him into some jeopardy if the majority of the council took the view that was not in the interests for the city. We would have to review his position as leader."

She added: "We have already talked a lot, had lots of debates and even private discussions on the rubbish collections but there's just been no movement on his part. We have made our position clear and he has made his position clear."

Conservative deputy leader, Councillor Royston Smith, accused Cllr Vinson of wasting taxpayers' money by ordering another meeting on the issue.

"We have already discussed it and nothing will have changed by the next meeting. There will be no new information to consider and we will come out with the same decision.

"It's just wasting time and money."