Revised hours for recycling centres
West Lothian’ s recycling centres could see new opening hours as part of re-jig to save money in the face of swingeing budget cutbacks.
Previous proposals to close three of the five centres were rejected by councillors in February and officials instructed to identify an alternative measure and review opening hours.
New proposals could see the two main sites (Oakbank and Whitburn) remaining open at the weekend and three days during the week. The smaller sites (Blackburn, Linlithgow and Broxburn) would remain open at the weekend and for two days during the week.
Sites would open from 10am to 2pm on weekdays and from 10am until 4.20pm at weekends, at all five sites.
The new opening hours match customer user data and would begin from April 1, 2019.
The proposals would result in a reduction in staff numbers of nine full- time equivalent (FTE).
The council has a “no compulsory redundancy policy” and always tries to reduce staffing levels voluntarily. But the plan, along with the changes to bin collections, has brought criticism from the union officials who say their members have not been consulted as promised.
If agreed the changes will save the council £ 321,000 over the next four years.
Executive councillor for the Environment, Tom Conn said: “The council has consulted over a wide range of proposals and following that exercise the feedback we received made it clear that the closure of recycling centres was not something that local people felt was appropriate. Some feedback suggested that reviewing opening hours would be preferable and that is what officers are now proposing as an alternative option.
“The level of budget reductions that the council has to manage is going to have an impact on local services and it is impossible to continue to keep all services operating as they currently do. There is just not enough funding to keep services as they are.
“The council has to base decisions on what local priorities are, seeking to find a balance between balancing a budget and providing services that are important to local people. Councils are legally responsible for balancing their budgets and incredibly difficult decisions have to be made.”
The plan has been tabled before councillors on the Environment Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel.