Angus Council’s leader has defended a defiant email response to critics in the latest salvo of a recycling centres row which continues to dog the authority.
The reply sent by Councillor David Fairweather in the wake of a decision which will see general waste skips removed from Brechin, Carnoustie, Kirriemuir and Monifieth has been labelled “aggressive” in a fierce online backlash.
He signed off a widely-circulated reply to constituents with a “come and try” challenge to opponents of the latest decision, which some fear is a step closer to complete closure of local facilities.
Mr Fairweather could now also find himself on the receiving end of a report to the ethical standards watchdog but the unrepentant leader has hit back, slamming “keyboard warriors” on community Facebook sites and saying he had been subjected to threats that people would come and dump their rubbish in his garden.
The alliance administration chief sent his email to constituents who contacted him over the latest changes to skip site operations, telling them “elected members are not only responsible for their own constituencies but the whole of Angus.”
The response added: “Putting this into perspective, social care, the elderly, mental health, children’s services and education are important priorities that we, as a council, must address and maintain.
“If your priority is putting a black bin bag in a skip without thought to the environment that is entirely up to you.
“However, you, of course, can stand for election and make in reality, these difficult decisions.”
The leader said: “I tend not to look at this sort of stuff on sites like Facebook, but what I did in the email which I sent to those who contacted me was to try to put a point across.
“We then have these keyboard warriors coming in and even threatening to dump their rubbish in my front garden because of this.
“We have a lot of difficult decisions to make and at the end of the day, I was elected to make those difficult decisions.
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“But I don’t think the decision taken to keep seven centres open was a difficult decision – I think it was a great decision to keep the seven centres open.”
The recent furore also led to Monifieth and Sidlaws Liberal Democrat councillor Ben Lawrie temporarily pulling the plug on his Facebook page due to the level of online abuse he suffered in the wake of the recycling centres vote.
Mr Lawrie said: “I understand people’s dismay in Monifieth at losing general waste facilities at their local centre, but I stand by this policy as I truly feel this is the best result we could achieve for Monifieth.”
He has said he will continue to welcome thoughts and discussion, but abusive comments will be deleted.
