Fill your own flower tubs or we’ll take them away
First the council took away the toilets, then the playparks. Now it is threatening to remove the flower pots which brighten up each village in summer.
Villages on Arran have been told they will have to maintain their own flower tubs or they will be taken away.
North Ayrshire Council blames budget cuts for the decision to stop planting the tubs, which can be found all over the island. It says it cannot maintain them after the present spring bulbs bloom, as it has fewer grounds staff on the island and the planting out budget for the whole of North Ayrshire has been halved.
The bombshell came at a recent meeting of Arran Community Council, which told members that it was now up to each village association across the island if they wished to take over responsibility of the tubs. If they do not, they will be removed.
Chairman Bill Calderwood said Brodick Improvements had already decided to take over the tubs which, after the first spring bloom, were previously planted with summer flowers. Other associations, including Lamlash, Whiting Bay, Corrie and Shiskine, are considering their positions.
However, Mr Calderwood warned that it was not just the case of removing the spring bulbs and planting out the summer flowers. ‘There has to be fairly regular watering and there is a fair degree of ongoing maintenance.’
He suggested there could be a collective approach with a joint bid for matched funding and a ‘centralised point’ of purchase. However, it would be up to each village to take on the responsibility for the upkeep of their own tubs.
Once each village has decided, a further discussion will take place at the next community council meeting later this month.
A North Ayrshire Council spokesman said: ‘Following another challenging financial settlement, we have been required to make a number of savings, including a reduction in grounds maintenance and floral displays across North Ayrshire.
‘If any community groups are interested in taking on the maintenance of the flower beds or planters, Streetscene would be delighted to hear from them.’