Councillor fears Kilkerran cutbacks part of wider picture
‘I have discovered local staff have been told to discontinue maintenance of the Park’
LACK of maintenance in a historic Campbeltown park may indicate further council service decline, an Argyll councillor fears.
Kilkerran Park, once the town’s main play area, was relocated nearer the centre to its current position by the ferry terminal, a move initiated by Councillor Donald Kelly.
He is disappointed that, this year, local staff have been told to stop maintaining the park, despite the council agreeing to continue its upkeep after the relocation and while it subcontracts extra work from Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA).
Mr Kelly said: ‘When I initiated the move of the play park from Kilkerran to its current location at Jocks Boat, it was on the clear understanding it would still be maintained.
‘Last autumn the council bought picnic benches to install this summer. I have discovered local staff have been told to discontinue maintenance of the park.
‘This decision has been taken without any consultation with local members and is totally unacceptable.’
Mr Kelly is worried that staff with increased workloads due to cuts cannot fulfil basic services and are further stretched by subcontracted work.
He added: ‘This has resulted in the fundamental services paid for by council taxpayers being neglected.
‘If the council cannot deliver basic services such as weed killing and grass-cutting, it should not be touting for business.
‘This is, in my opinion, a case of bad management at the highest level. Council staff are already cut to the bone, directing them to do other work is simply not on.
‘I have raised these concerns with the council’s chief executive, Cleland Sneddon, who has assured me they will be investigated.’
Mr Kelly’s concerns are not isolated to Campbeltown.
Porthnahaven postmaster Alastair Redman told the Courier: ‘It appears Argyll and Bute’s amenities department are not going to be cutting the grass in graveyards and a number of residents have mentioned this to me.’
A spokesman for the council said: ‘This is a time of unprecedented challenge for local government. Drastically reduced funding means we have to save more than £10million in 2016/17 alone. We cannot do everything we would like to do for our communities.
‘Grass-cutting in Kilkerran Park will continue twice a year. When reducing grass cuts, we have used our local knowledge to select areas which will have the least impact.
‘By reducing grasscutting we can keep our environmental warden service, public conveniences, hanging baskets and annual bedding displays – things our communities told us were important to them.
‘We do some work for ACHA on Islay, on a commercial basis, which generates income, and have also reduced grass-cutting at old cemeteries there which are full.’