Plans to increase the fee for garden waste collection in East Renfrewshire by £20 are to be reviewed amid fears it could put an “unfair burden” on cash-strapped residents.

A meeting will be held on Wednesday to decide whether the proposed rise from £40 to £60 should go ahead.

Conservative councillors have suggested any increase should be below the rate of inflation.

Cabinet members approved an annual rise on January 26 after officials reported it would “assist towards recovering the full cost of delivering the service and contribute towards savings proposals.”

East Renfrewshire Council is facing an estimated budget shortfall of around £19million for the coming year.

Plans to increase the garden waste charge will now be considered by the council’s audit and scrutiny committee.

It can choose to agree with the original decision or recommend changes, which would be taken back to the cabinet.

If cabinet members did not accept the changes, the decision would go to a full council meeting.

Cabinet members made the initial decision ahead of next month’s budget meeting to give officials time to sell garden waste permits ahead of the new financial year.

They also agreed to introduce a charge for residents who want an extra garden waste bin. These would be available for £60, plus another £60 for an additional permit.

However, the five Conservative councillors – Jim McLean, Paul Edlin, Kate Campbell, Gordon Wallace and Andrew Morrison – have called in the decision.

They stated the main objective of charging for environmental services is to “ensure the actual costs of delivering such services are fully recovered.”

The councillors also said an initial report “failed to provide a breakdown of the costs of delivering the garden waste uplift service.”

Brown bins are used for garden waste and food waste but the council only charges for the collection of garden waste.

At the cabinet meeting, an official said the cost of the whole brown bin service is “estimated to be around £2.2m for next year” but the income generated is only expected to be about £1.8m.

The Conservatives have said it is accepted that inflationary pressures could “eliminate any profit” but added “an increase of 50% based on the information provided to cabinet thus far is not justified, placing an unfair burden on those who use the service.”

They suggested the increase “be contained below the rate of inflation by way of efficiencies accrued from the provision of a second bin.”

Councillor McLean, as lead signatory, will be invited to speak at the meeting on Wednesday, where council leader Owen O’Donnell, as a substitute for environment convener Councillor Danny Devlin, is also expected to address the committee.