Fortnightly bin collections

There has been a lot of comment in recent days about the council’s plan for fortnightly bin collections.

I raised the issue with the council’s director of environment and he confirmed his department are in the process of preparing a report to go to committee in March setting out the proposed future strategy for waste collection and recycling.

Apparently a number of scenarios have been considered all of which involve some form of weekly collections of waste being undertaken. However the key change will be about what it is that is collected on a weekly basis. I understand the council are looking at the introduction of fortnightly collections for residual waste i.e. household rubbish not able to be recycled, re-used or composted, but that any such proposal would be on the basis that there is an increase in the provision of recycling facilities and collections for residents across the city, which would offset the loss of a weekly collection for residual waste. The aim is to significantly reduce the amount of residual waste that has to collected and disposed of and to increase the amount of recyclate collected be it paper, metals, plastics or food.

The UK Government is opposed to fortnightly bin collections and has made money available to local authorities in England to retain weekly collections. When local government secretary Eric Pickles announced plans for a £250million fund he called weekly collections a basic right and described rubbish being taken away as the most visible council service people get.

I have concerns about the impact that fortnightly bin collections will have, including bad smells, vermin and seagull attacks on bin bags.

What do you think?  Let me know.

A fair referendum

The Electoral Commission, an impartial body, has today rejected the Scottish Government’s proposed referendum question. The commission has also urged the Scottish Government to provide the public with more facts on the implications of separation before the 2014 vote.

The Scottish Government’s proposed question is: “Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country”.  The Electoral Commission said there were some aspects of the wording of this question that people felt were “potentially ambiguous or affected their perceptions of the neutrality of the question.” The formulation ‘Do you agree....’ was commonly felt to be biased towards a ‘yes’ outcome and potentially leading people towards a ‘yes’ vote. The Electoral Commission’s proposed question is: “Should Scotland be an independent country? Yes/No”

A proper reinstatement required

A proper reinstatement still needs to be carried out at this utility box on Brook Street at the corner with Fort Street. I raised the matter with the council’s network management team and was advised that the rough tarmac border at the installation is a temporary measure and it has been arranged for a council engineer to meet the BT contractor to discuss the requirements for the permanent reinstatement using the same granite paving slabs and finish as the adjacent area.

 I have yet to be advised of when the work will be undertaken but I will chase it up if nothing occurs in the near future. I think it is important when any street works are undertaken that the subsequent reinstatement is carried out timeously and to a reasonable standard.  

Speed limits

Last year the council proposed to reduce the speed limit on the A930 between Panmure Street and Guthrie Terrace to 30mph. The legal traffic order was concluded in November and the council’s traffic engineers are in the process of implementing signage changes. It is anticipated that these will be in place by the end of March. The council will publicise the change and will work with Tayside Police to reinforce the new speed limit.

At tomorrow’s City Development Committee there is a proposal to also reduce the speed limit on the section of the A930 between Margaret Crescent and Ellieslea Road.  I have been advised that if the change is agreed the new limit will be introduced in the late summer, following the necessary traffic order process.

After these two speed limits have been applied it will mean that the main road that passes through Broughty Ferry will be 30mph along its entirety.

The Friendly Bus

The Friendly Bus service is a weekly shopper’s bus that is used by people who have difficulty using ordinary buses to get out and about. It takes them to a nearby supermarket where they spend an hour or so doing their shopping before catching the bus home again. Help is given to passengers getting on and off the bus with shopping bags if it’s required.

As part of its budget savings for 2013/14 Dundee's SNP administration is proposing to do away with this service to save £60,000 a year. The intention is to pursue an alternative service via a flexibly routed local bus service.  However when I asked the council’s transportation section what the alterative would be I was advised that the replacement would be limited and is still subject to full design. 

Today I met with a group of pensioners from Broughty Ferry who use the service every Thursday to be taken to Sainsbury’s. They told me that the Friendly Bus was invaluable as it allows them to do a full shop when otherwise they wouldn’t be able to get to a supermarket and carry home their shopping.  It also gives them access to a cash machine and a post box.  For some this is the only day in the week they are able to get out of their homes.

The Friendly Bus provides a lifeline for many elderly people, particularly those who for mobility reason have difficulty using the main bus route. It is an excellent service and its disappointing that it is being put forward by the SNP administration as a budget saving. I intend to look for alternative savings to allow this service to continue and will submit these at the budget meeting on 14 February. Meanwhile I would encourage the users of the service to contact their councillors to ask them to rethink this proposal.

Latest poll - 20 point lead for Scotland remaining in the UK

Only 28 per cent of people in Scotland support separation, latest research has shown. A poll released today by TNS revealed 48 per cent of people, if the referendum was held tomorrow, would vote to remain in the UK. 24 per cent are undecided. Researchers said public opinion appeared to have stabilised in recent months, with support for breaking up Britain lagging by 20 per cent.

Numerous polls have consistently shown the vast majority of people do not believe in separation. They recognise being part of the world’s most successful social and economic union is in their and Scotland’s best interests.

Budget proposals

Councillors will meet on February 14^th to set the council tax for 2013-14. According to council finance officials, based on current assumptions, the council requires to identify budget savings totalling £6.5m in order to achieve a council tax freeze.

In previous years the Conservative Group has moved an alternative budget by identifying additional savings to those proposed by the administration. We also tried to allocate funding to different priority areas and on occasion we were able to propose a reduction in the level of council tax while protecting important services.

I think local residents should have a say in how the council provides services on their behalf and so I would be interested to hear from Dundee council tax payers and service users about how the council might save money or do things differently to improve services and increase efficiency.  Send me an email and let me know what you think.

More potholes

There is a proliferation of potholes in local roads at the moment. The incessant wet weather seems to have left them in a poorer state than they were following the extended period of snow and ice a couple of years ago. I have reported quite a few in recent weeks  to Dundee City Council’s Roads Maintenance Partnership, the most recent is in Abertay Street, where there is a couple of deep pot holes near to the junction with Gordon Street. A large part of the surface also continues to be worn away. 

According to the council it filled in 17,500 potholes in the first 10 months of 2012 and that was before we were hit by the flooding!  The Conservative Group previously tried to get Dundee City Council council to allocate more funding to road reconstructions but unfortunately our approach was rejected by the council's SNP administration.

Road disruption- update

The council’s network management team has now provided me with a summary of the programme and timescales for the work in respect of the SSE 33Kv Milton of Craigie cable renewal scheme:

 Preliminary work

 7/1 - 8/1 Set up of temporary site offices in Arbroath Road lay-by (Monymusk Park).

 9/1 - 14/1 Trial holes will be taken in Claypotts Road and Queen Street. This will be done using temporary traffic lights.

 Excavate/duct/reinstate

15/1 - 8/2 Arbroath Road (Kemnay Place to Claypotts Terrace). This work will be done under off peak temporary traffic lights and an eastbound road closure (between Kemnay Place and Gotterstone Avenue).

 4/2 - 12/2 St Vincent Street & Brook Street. This work will be done under road closure.

 11/2 - 18/2 Douglas Road & Kemnay Place. This work will be done under road closure.

 19/2 - 7/3 Claypotts Road. This work will be done under road closure.

 8/3 - 22/3 Queen Street. This work will be done under temporary traffic lights. Adjoining side streets will also be closed at certain points.