Council chiefs have bowed to pressure and put controversial plans to slash a number of Angus recycling centres on hold.
Waste management chiefs will now go back to the drawing board and come up with options for the future in the wake of the furore with which plans to close facilities in Forfar, Kirriemuir, Brechin, Monifieth and Carnoustie were met.
The planned changes were mooted as part of a six-figure saving plan for the cash-strapped authority, but their surprise announcement and the lack of alternative options were met with dismay in local communities, and widely condemned by both administration and opposition councillors.
Protesters gathered outside the Town and County Hall in Forfar in advance of Tuesday afternoon’s meeting and quickly learned that the recycling centre proposals were being put on the back burner.
Committee convener Donald Morrison recommended deferral of that element of the wider waste management review report, saying there was a lack of information in the document on costings and alternative options.
A further report will be brought back to the committee within weeks, with councillors set to be briefed on proposals in advance.
Carnoustie campaigner Laura-May Kennedy said the deferral decision was a welcome move.
“There are other ways of doing this, such as part-time hours, and I think that coming back to look at other options is a step forward.
“I think this has also helped people feel that they have a voice, that they can go to the council, give their opinion and it will be listened to that is important.”
Brechin councillor Bob Myles said the deferral decision was a “wise move”.
Monifieth and Sidlaws colleague Craig Fotheringham said: “I have been inundated with calls, emails and social media comments since this report was issued and it is just a pity that elected members weren’t informed of the recommendations prior to its issue.
“Monifieth and the surrounding area contributes immensely to the council tax revenues of Angus Council yet does not enjoy council-run public car parks, leisure or community facilities, unlike other burghs.”
Although the recycling centre changes are to be re-examined, the committee agrees the closure of five public toilets across Angus, a £25 annual charge for garden waste collection and the withdrawal of food waste collection to some 3,500 households.
The potential loss of Brechin recycling centre had prompted town SNP councillors Mairi Evans and Jim Houston to call for a rethink after admitting “shock” at the scale of the cost-cutting plan.
Councillor Evans had earlier said: “I expected to see a report come forward with the various options that elected members could evaluate and decide on. I have been asked by constituents across my ward to oppose this option for closure and ensure that officers reconsider some of the alternatives.
“They fear that the closure proposed across Angus will lead to illegal fly-tipping without adequate enforcement to prevent it.”
She added: “I have been reliably informed that Brechin Community Council in the 1980s was in the forefront of the push to get Angus District Council to provide recycling centres and this is deemed poor reward for our responsible attitude to protecting the Angus environment.”
Councillor Houston said: “I shall be asking my SNP colleagues to support Mairi and me and instruct council officers to reconsider options for part-time opening rather than closure to make necessary savings.”
Forfar independent Councillor Colin Brown said he had found overwhelming opposition to the closure of the town site during a weekend straw poll.
“I was told at a meeting… no decision had been made and this would go out to consultation with the users before any decision was made.
“It seems once again that we in the non-administration and the public have not been kept up to date with the decisions that have been taken.”