A COUNCIL has hit back at the Government after it was named one of the poorest performing recycling authorities in the region.

Richmondshire District Council was listed among the worst ten performers in Yorkshire and Humberside by Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

The authority had recycling rates of 10.12 per cent in 2003/4 and 11.99 per cent in 2005/6.

Defra said those in the list would have their recycling targets raised from 18 per cent to 20 per cent for 2007/8.

They will also undergo assessments of the problems faced and will be given extra training. But council managers said they had already implemented a range of recycling measures.

About 10,000 households will change to alternate fortnightly collections of household and green waste in October.

Sean Little, head of environmental protection, said: "Recycling and waste minimisation is a council priority and, over the past two years, major changes to the recycling infrastructure and services have been implemented at pace throughout the district.

"These changes are bearing fruit, with our recycling rate for 2006/7, subject to auditing, at 22.67 per cent, well above the new target of 20 per cent Defra are to set for next year.

"With the approval of a new waste management strategy to expand and improve services until 2018, to achieve a recycling rate of at least 38 per cent, it is unlikely that Richmondshire District Council will be subjected to the intervention proposed by Defra."

City of York Council and Scarborough Borough Council have also had their recycling targets raised from 18 per cent to 20 per cent for 2007/8.

Councillor Andrew Waller, York City Council's executive member for environment and sustainability, said the new target had already been exceeded as York reached a rate of about 24 per cent last year.