Request to alter weekend bin lifts

Saturday collections `unpopular’

Tourists visiting Callander at weekends expecting beautiful views are also being confronted by bin lorries and rows of bins.

And ward councillor Martin Earl says Saturday bin collections in the town are not going down well with locals.

Councillor Earl raised the issue at a full meeting of Stirling Council last Thursday.

Attempts by him and his fellow Tory councillors to initiate an immediate full review of the council’s new waste collection service were thwarted after the council’s SNP/Labour administration decided a report should first go to the next meeting of the environment and housing committee - not due until September 14.

Councillor Earl said: “I think there are many good things about the new system such as the increased recycling rate and much less going to landfill.

“But the council should always want to review services and be prepared to change them when needed.

“The Saturday collections in and around Callander are a good example - they are very unpopular.

“Sometimes there are three or four waste collection vehicles through the High Street at one time and often much later than they are supposed to be there. This can cause problems with visitor traffic, not to mention the issue of bins being out in a tourist town at a weekend.

“Another issue is that many people have commented that the paper and cardboard collection every four weeks is too long.

“These are just some of the issues I would like to see examined and we can probably get a better picture from community councils and residents if we ask them during a proper review.”

While councillors from all parties thanked former environment and housing convener Danny Gibson and waste team officers for their “considerable efforts” in implementing the new system - launched at the end of last year - the timing of a review aimed at ironing out remaining issues across the council area was a bone of contention.

Environment convener Jim Thomson said while meetings had already taken place with waste services bosses, the administration did not want to instruct officers to conduct a review until they could consider fully how the service was working and report to the next environment and housing committee.

He added: “Some community councils don’t meet during the summer months. I am not dismissing the view that we need a full review but I don’t feel it can meet the timeframe. We will make the officers aware of a range of issues.”

Councillor Gibson said: “I think we all know the challenges in the implementation of this. In saying that, the service was fantastic at responding to the challenges. No-one is perfect but the teams did the best they could under difficult circumstances.

“There will be a further update to committee in September and a review at the appropriate time. We will get there. It’s a process.”

Councillor Earl said: “I’m disappointed. It smacks of it being kicked into the long grass and being overly bureaucratic.

“To say ‘we will get there’ is not good enough. We need to get a message out to communities that we will tackle this and get the ball rolling.”

When the Tories failed to find support for their motion for a full review to be reported by October 1 they accepted the administration’s amendment for an initial report to be brought to the September committee saying “it is the best we are going to get”.