Cameron's conference pledge to bring back weekly bin rounds

The Tory leader said he will tell councils to end fortnightly collections and offer them millions of pounds to do so.

His pledge, to be announced at next week's party conference, is a major victory for the Daily Mail's campaign to maintain weekly visits from the binman.

Animated in action: David Cameron has promised to bring back weekly bin collections and says he will have the funds to do it

It was revealed in a candid interview with the Daily Mail in which Mr Cameron also:

 • Attacked Gordon Brown's 'issues' with telling the truth and his 'Nixonian' Downing Street.

 • Defended his decision to allow TV cameras to film him at home with his children.

 • Opened the door for Tory 'big beasts' such as former Chancellor Ken Clarke  -  and Blairite figures including Schools Minister Lord Adonis  -  to join his government.

Mr Cameron made clear the main focus of next week's conference will be the unfolding economic turmoil.

He admitted the Tories, who have enjoyed double-digit poll leads for months, have not yet 'sealed the deal' with voters.

So policy initiatives on the NHS, schools and how to mend Britain's 'broken society' will try to counter charges of Tory complacency. 

His most eye-catching pledge is the reinstatement of weekly bin collections in response to overwhelming public opposition.

The latest statistics show that the number of councils across Britain that have scrapped weekly collections has risen to 225 out of 433  -  52 per cent.

Eight million homes have now lost them. Once-a-week-household rubbish collections came into law in 1875 to stamp out cholera and other plagues which claimed huge numbers of lives.

The Daily Mail has campaigned to keep weekly visits from the binmen

They went unchallenged until after Labour's 1997 election victory.

Now the Government says the change has boosted rates of recycling.

But Mr Cameron insisted: 'You know, there is absolutely nothing green about allowing peoples' rubbish to rot in the streets, having an increase in rats pests and smell.

'It is a disaster when you have got an increase in flytipping all over the country. It is causing huge problems.

'So we will say to councils that if you want an additional weekly collection of smelly rubbish, we will help with the funding to make that happen.'

Tories say that all councils would be expected to return to weekly collections and that the funding is available.

While they could refuse to switch back, aides believe it would be 'electoral suicide' to do so.

'This policy will be clearly paid for,' said Mr Cameron.

'I think it will be warmly welcomed, will make good sense, and is about listening to people who are very concerned.'

The average cost of weekly collections is £59.80 per household per year, compared to £44.63 for fortnightly ones.

That means the total cost of moving back to weekly collections is £121million.

The Tories say they will raise £133million by scrapping funding for a range of inspectorates, regional assemblies, Labour's new planning superquango and forcing councils to spend less on promotion.