Claims council staff binned donations

A ROW has broken out between a community group and council bosses amid claims school uniform donations were thrown away – which the council denies.

Members of Families of Auchinairn Coming Together (FACT) say local authority staff binned the offerings at short notice yesterday, despite pleas from volunteers in recent months to pick up the clothes.

The group says they were told by council chiefs to clear out the donations in the Auchinairn Community and Early Learning Centre, in Bishopbriggs by 10am, or face losing them. The donations were due to go to the town’s Babes In The Wood centre.

Volunteers say they have been left “disgusted” by the actions of East Dunbartonshire Council (EDC) staff.

In a post on social media, a member wrote: “To my disgust, EDC have gone into the centre this morning, bagged all the uniforms which have been in the centre for months and binned the lot.

“I am totally lost for words. EDC are disgusting to do this to a community. This is a time of need and we are in recovery from a pandemic where everyone has suffered and is still suffering.”

They continued: “EDC could not wait till Monday when it had all been arranged to be uplifted.

“I had been asking time and time again if I could pop into the centre to sort out and move elsewhere, to be told no one is allowed in the building at any time.

“Now when it suits EDC I was demanded to go in and remove everything out the centre by 10am Friday?”

Ann Davie, depute chief executive for education, people and business at EDC, said the clothes had not been thrown in the bin by workers.

She added: “We are more than happy to drop the bags off at the Babes In The Wood facility and will make arrangements to do so on Monday.”