CRUNCH talks are set to take place between the city council and union leaders as the threat of strike action looms.

Brighton and Hove City Council bosses will meet with the GMB union, representing the council’s refuse and recycling workers, to address funding and staffing issues.

It comes after residents have complained about missed collections and rubbish piling up on streets across the city.

Union chiefs will meet with the chief executive of Brighton and Hove City Council Geoff Raw on Monday in an attempt to come to a resolution and avoid a bin strike.

GMB branch secretary for Brighton and Hove Mark Turner said: “We are due to meet with the city council to will increase staffing levels.

“Hopefully by the end of Monday we will come to a resolution, but the ball is in their court.

“If not then our members will decide our next steps.”

Mr Turner previously told The Argus he could not rule out strike action if they could not come to an agreement with the city council.

The GMB claims that three bin lorries every day has been sitting in the depot because of understaffing.

They said refuse and recycling workers have been used to man the council’s new commercial and green waste venture, stopping bins being collected and streets being cleaned.

The effect has been increased workloads for staff, as they pick up bins not collected and rubbish not swept the next day.

The union is calling for the city council to throw more cash at City Clean to employ ten more staff, so the service can run properly.

Brighton and Hove City Council claims the problems with Cityclean’s service is due to it being peak time with staff on annual leave and high levels of sickness.

The crisis comes as the man in charge of bin collections in the city prepares to leave the council. 

Assistant director for city environment Richard Bradley, who has been in the job for three years, will leave in October to take up a post at Scarborough Borough Council.

Councillor Gill Mitchell chair of the city’s environment committee, said: “We have experienced service problems over the last few weeks and I apologise to those residents that have been affected.

“Cityclean is a service that is expanding and we need to ensure that numbers of staff keep up with the pace of these changes. As part of this the views of the Cityclean crews working on the ground are vital.

“We are listening to their concerns and are working together to reach a solution to continue the delivery of a high standard service.”

The city council will be keen to avoid the bin strikes of 2013 and 2014, which saw nappies, condoms and food sprawled over the streets.