If passed, this legislation will give city and county managers power to impose increased waste charges unilaterally. Whether a decision is taken to charge householders by weight or other measures are put in place, local elected representatives will be powerless to intervene. Already this year we have seen some local authorities forced to increase their charges by over 30% because they have been left with serious shortfalls due to Government cutbacks. Once again, the public is being asked to make up for the serious mismanagement of public funds by the Government. How much further can the public purse be expected to stretch to prop up the financial ineptitude of the Minister for Finance who has grossly misled the public and seriously squandered public resources?