SALISBURY’S dump will open an extra day a week if the latest proposals go ahead.

Wiltshire Council slashed the opening hours in June 2015, resulting in long queues at peak times and complaints from nearby businesses. Fly-tipping also increased.

Now changes to the council’s budget will see an extra £175,000 a year spent on opening the household recycling centres at Salisbury, Chippenham and Trowbridge for one extra day a week.

Other centres, including Amesbury, will continue operating with reduced opening hours.

Labour group leader Ricky Rogers welcomed the news, but said it was ‘far too late’ as the public and traders in Salisbury had already suffered a ‘great deal of inconvenience’ from the ‘horrendous queues’ caused by the ‘rash decision’ to reduce the opening hours, without consultation.

Opposition leader Lib Dem Glenis Ansell said she was delighted to see that her party and the Tories had been working ‘along almost identical lines’.

In total, amendments to the proposed 2017/18 budget worth £375,000 were announced.

VisitWiltshire’s grant will be reduced by £50,000 instead of £100,000, and there will be an extra £50,000 for the Wiltshire Parent Carers Council and £100,000 to develop of Wiltshire Council staff.

Savings totalling £375,000 will be found from the communications and marketing budget and the way the council spends money on its property maintenance.

Tory Wiltshire Council leader Jane Scott said: “In putting forward this year’s budget proposals we faced a number of challenges in how we balance the need to protect vital services and provide the support that’s needed for the vulnerable, while having to find savings as a result of increased demand and continued reduction in government grant.”

The budget will be decided at a full council meeting at County Hall on February 21.