Domestic waste collection strategy

Last night’s meeting of the council’s environment committee heard that the much anticipated review of domestic waste collection is underway.  A report by the director of environment and the head of environmental protection stated that an initial appraisal has been carried out which highlighted further development work is needed before a final decision can be taken on the future collection system.

A root and branch review of all collection operations is to be carried out and  will include  things like identifying ways to allow tenemental and flatted properties access to the full recycling range, looking at all of the collection routes, the frequency of collections, working patterns and vehicles. It is expected that this will take a further nine months to a year to complete.

A consultation will be carried out with residents and there will be an education and awareness campaign.

The main driver behind the way waste has to be collected is the challenging targets that have been set for recycling household waste by The Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012. These are 50% by 2013, 60% by 2020 and 70% by 2025.

A report will be brought back to committee for consideration prior to the implementation of any changes.

In Touch newsletter

I am in the process of delivering my Spring/Summer newsletter. It features, as usual, a number of articles on local issues but it also has an update on the Conservative Friends of the Union campaign and an article about when Broughty Ferry became part of Dundee. I try to distribute it as widely as possible across the Ferry and I’m grateful to the volunteers who help with this.

Feedback is always welcome, so if you have any comments then please get in touch with me. You can contact me by email, telephone or letter. If you prefer to write to me then there is a cut off slip on the back page of the newsletter which you can use if it would be more convenient for you.

Local policing plan

Police Scotland has produced a local policing plan for each multi member council ward in Scotland which focusses on local issues and concerns.

The priorities identified by the community for The Ferry ward are housebreaking and other theft, road safety, antisocial behaviour and vandalism and graffiti. The plan contains details of actions carried out to date and what measures are to be implemented in the coming months.

This is a really good development as the issues that people in Broughty Ferry are worried about might not necessarily always be the same as in other areas. At recent community meetings I have attended police representatives have given updates which clearly show that this focus on local concerns is making a difference.

You can view the plan and information about the local community policing team on the Police Scotland website which is www.scotland.police.uk.

Outstanding service and commitment awards

In May I was part of a judging panel for the council’s first outstanding service and commitment awards (OSCAs). We spent a day listening to the presentations and asking questions of the three finalists in each of the six categories which were: innovation and improvement, customer focus, outstanding service, environment and sustainability, achieving fairness and reducing inequalities and improving services through partnership working.

The judges were hugely impressed by the enthusiasm, innovation and commitment to public service of all the finalists.

The award ceremony took place last night at the West Park Centre and I was pleased to be asked to present the award for environment and sustainability. This award recognises contributions and improvements made by teams either to improve the council’s impact on the environment, or to support local communities to actively promote and implement green initiatives or to help create sustainable communities and sustainable development.

It was won by the Waste Disposal Capital Works Review Team for its focus on waste disposal by the construction division during its programme to replace heating, kitchens and bathrooms in council houses. Improvements identified amongst other things included better recovery of high value scrap metal and improved segregation of waste.

Ballinard Road trip hazard

I receive dozens of enquiries every week from constituents on a variety of issues but the most common complaint by far is the condition of our roads and pavements.

The most recent of these came in yesterday afternoon and I have posted a picture of it opposite. It shows damage to a service cover on the pavement in Ballinard Road. I have reported it to the roads maintenance partnership for attention.

Broughty Ferry Community Council meeting

I attended a meeting of Broughty Ferry Community Council tonight in Broughty Ferry Library. A standing item on the agenda is councillors’ reports and in my contribution I mentioned:

• The ‘30mph speed limit in force’ signs that are to be installed on Monifieth Road to ensure that drivers are aware of the recently reduced speed limit.

• The legal process to reduce the speed limit on Dundee Road to 30mph should be concluded late summer.

• The council action plan for promoting bowling in the city.

• The feasibility study to be carried out with a view to developing a high quality tennis coaching facility at Dawson Park.

• The new street lighting being installed at various locations.

• The resurfacing of the badly worn and rutted carriageway in Claypotts Road

• The adopted and unadopted pavements being resurfaced in this financial year.

• The funding application made by the council to Sustrans with the intention of extending the cycle path from the recently completed Douglas Terrace coastal path into Lower Broughty Ferry Road.

• The periodic review of parking restrictions that is to be carried out in Broughty Ferry including consideration of waiting restrictions near to the Dundee Road railway bridge where a number of advertising vehicles are continuously parked.

The community council meets on the first Tuesday of the month. Its role is to help to make Dundee City Council and other public bodies aware of the opinions of the local community. A link to its web page is at the foot of this page.

Job Club at Broughty Ferry Library