Critics have rubbished a petition against an Angus superskip in an escalating council row.
As an Angus Council member/officer group draws up revised plans following a surprise decision by the new coalition administration to rethink recycling provision across the district, the petition by Forfar member Braden Davy has been branded “bizarre” by the former convener of the committee which made the original shake-up decision.
Closure of the Monifieth recycling centre and changes to operating hours at Brechin and Montrose have been put on hold whilst the possibility of a u-turn is examined, with a report due to come back before councillors next month.
The issue has also re-ignited concern over previously floated plans for a superskip at Padanaram, with Mr Davy and Angus Tory MP Kirstene Hair intending to submit their petition to the MOG review group opposing any Forfar and Kirriemuir merger.
Former SNP councillor Donald Morrison, who was ousted at May’s local elections, was communities convener of the previous administration and said he was bewildered by Mr Davy’s approach.
“He keeps telling us he was elected on a mandate to keep the Forfar site at Queenswell Road open, so it seems bizarre that as part of the new Conservative/Independent administration on Angus Council that he is now seeking a second mandate when he simply needs to get agreement from his fellow administration members to keep Forfar open.
“It is a political decision and I would suggest he gets on with the job he was elected to do, including telling people what services are going to be hit by decisions to save £40million in the next three years,” said Mr Morrison.
“This is silly season politics,” he added.
“We will not have to wait long for the outcome of the group’s review and I wish the new administration luck in finding a solution.
“If they come up with the promised outcome then I congratulate them on that, and I genuinely mean that, because these are difficult times and considerable sums of money must be found here.”
Angus SNP group leader Lynne Devine said: “If Councillor Davy is so concerned about the recycling issue I would ask why he did not go on the MOG.
“A petition to his own administration is a very strange way of doing things and I think it perhaps shows his inexperience.
“A lot of work has gone into this issue already, it has been looked at and re-looked at that I think this is causing a huge amount of chaos, and not insignificant cost,” added Ms Devine.
