A vow to scrap the monthly bin collections

MID SCOTLAND AND FIFE MSP

The SNP Government have for years cut the level of funding for local authorities.

The Scottish Budget for this year is no exception.

The SNP have reduced funding by more than

£250 million - more than a quarter of a billion pounds. And that’s despite record levels of funding received by the SNP from the UK Government.

All of this means there is less money to spend on important local services and further increases to your Council Tax. Instead of increasing funding for local authorities, the SNP continue to allocate money for their pet projects to buy support for their independence obsession.

Since 2017 Stirling Council has been run by the SNP. Quite simply, they have done a terrible job and do not deserve to be in control. As an MSP, I receive a lot of complaints from people about the council. Whether it’s the roads or pavements, problems getting services to do their job or problems with the bins, there has been a huge increase in the number of complaints I receive.

You have been badly served by the SNP here in Stirling who have completely failed to address inefficiency. Their SNP masters at Holyrood cut the money and the incompetent SNP locally waste what they do have.

This paper reported recently on the cost of Stirling Council bin collections.

How is it possible that it costs so much more to empty your bins in Stirling than anywhere else in Scotland?

Not only do residents have to put up with the worst bin collections in the country - they also have to pay through the nose for it. This is an appalling state of affairs and one a Scottish Conservative run council would address immediately.

The SNP’S local election campaign completely ignores their track record of failure of course. They fail to acknowledge the huge problems with the bins service and try to tell everyone what a great job they have done - while you drive on poor roads and walk on dangerous pavements!

The Scottish Conservatives have published a comprehensive manifesto for these elections.

The 20-page document pledges to improve a range of local services such as our roads, pavements and bins, education, and nursery provision; better support the victims of anti-social behaviour and highlights how the council should play its part in helping us all tackle the climate emergency.

Restoring our city and town centres - making them once again vibrant places - is a key part of our Manifesto. So is addressing housing shortages, social care, and the need for more high-quality jobs to tackle poverty. We want to create Citizen Advisory Groups to ensure the expertise and interest many local people have is used to improve how the council delivers your services and they work to address people’s needs.

Both the SNP and Labour have produced absolutely nothing.

The cost of living in increasing. Your local authority should do everything to keep costs as low as possible. Your Council tax bill should be lower and having to pay an extra tax to get your garden waste collected is a disgrace. It is an extra burden at this time of rising costs. A Scottish Conservative run council would scrap it.

These elections are about your council and how your money is spent. It is an opportunity for change - to elect Scottish Conservative councillors who have pledged to fix your bins, ensure your council concentrates on the fundamental jobs it should do and that your money is not wasted. This is your opportunity to have a council working with you and for you - not against you.