The leader of Dundee City Council has vowed he will not cut bin collections despite facing a “painful” budget.
Council officials have put forward proposals showing that cutting general waste collections to once every three weeks could save the local authority £112,000 a year.
Reducing the frequency of weekly food waste collections would also save the cash-strapped local authority another £126,000 annually.
But despite having to find £24 million of savings for next year, John Alexander – leader of the SNP administration – says he does not plan to include these cuts when he finalises his spending plans later this month.
Dundee SNP group ‘not proposing savings related to bin collections’
He told The Courier: “We do not intend on taking many of the suggestions listed by officers.
“The SNP group will not be proposing savings related to bin collections in our budget but I can’t speak for Labour, Liberal Democrat or Conservative members.
“Our administration will ensure that, as well as protecting frontline services, there is also additional support to help those in the city facing the biggest difficulties during the cost-of-living crisis.”
Other ideas on the table include closing Broughty Castle, both Caird Park golf courses and Mills Observatory in order to save arm’s-length organisation Leisure and Culture Dundee more than £800,000.
These have already been ratified by the leisure board but need council approval – and potentially a public consultation – to go ahead.
A host of other proposals have also been suggested, including cutting teachers and bringing in new parking fees in Broughty Ferry.
The SNP administration will make a final call on how to allocate its budget in the coming weeks.
Mr Alexander said: “Officers have provided a long list of areas (for cuts) that are not ‘ringfenced’ or mandatory.
“That doesn’t, of course, mean they are without pain, palatable or going to be taken forward.”
Dundee bins vow welcomed amid health fears
Mr Alexander’s vow over bins has been welcomed by residents who fear fewer collections could have an impact on public health.
Sheena Wellington, secretary of City Centre and Harbour Community Council, said: “This would be a very desperate measure.
“It would be like going back to medieval times.
“If we ended up only getting our bins emptied every three weeks, not only would it be unsightly, there would be a serious public health issue.”
Opposition parties on Dundee City Council will also be able to set out their budget proposals later this month as they try to convince the ruling SNP group to take on board some of their ideas.
Fraser Macpherson, leader of the Lib Dem group, says he wants to see street cleansing positions at the local authority protected.
Conversation