The Council’s controlling Labour Administration have rejected a motion from the SNP that would have protected the current two weekly collection of household waste bins (Green/Black/Grey).
At last week’s Infrastructure, Regeneration and Economic Development (IRED) Committee, a motion from SNP Shadow IRED Spokesperson, Cllr Jonathan McColl was rejected by Labour, and instead Committee agreed that officers would continue to produce plans to move to three or four weekly collections of landfill waste bins.
At the Committee, Labour Convener Cllr David McBride told Councillors that he was completely against moving to three of four weekly collections, but then voted with Council Leader Cllr Martin Rooney and fellow Labour Councillors Michelle McGinty, Lawrence O’Neil and Clare Steel to have officers continue drawing up plans to be agreed at a later date.
Speaking after the decision, Cllr McColl said,
“There is limited evidence that reducing these services has a significant positive impact on recycling rates. All it does is make it harder for people to dispose of their waste and risks increased fly tipping.
“The reduction in collection rates has been threatened as a budget savings option for the best part of a decade, and every time Councillors across the chamber have rejected it. There is no reason that colleagues cross party couldn’t have supported the SNP to reassure our citizens that this is not a route that West Dunbartonshire intends to go down.
“Their decision at committee instead confirms what we feared; their comforting words mean nothing and their actions will continue to harm local services that people rely on.”
ENDS
Notes for Editors:
SNP Motion in full –
“Council does not believe that the benefits of reducing the current two weekly landfill waste collection service to three or four weekly, outweigh the negative impact on the amenity of our residents.
“This is a ‘savings option’ that has repeatedly been brought to Council by officers and has been repeatedly rejected by both the SNP and Labour.
“Committee agrees that this remains an inappropriate proposal and agrees that it should not feature in any proposals arising from the various waste services reviews referred to in this report.”
Full audio recording under August 2022 Infrastructure Regeneration and Economic Development Committee Item 6 – https://portal.audiominutes.com/public_player/westdc
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