Council Under Fire for Turning off the
Power
Local people are losing out because
Inverclyde Council refuses to use the new powers given to it by the Scottish
Parliament, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Duncan McNeil, told a meeting last
night.
Speaking
at the AGM of the Gourock Branch Labour Party on Thursday evening, Mr McNeil
said:
“One
of my greatest frustrations is that, although we have passed many laws to give
Councils the powers they need to improve the lives of those they serve, the
Liberals on Inverclyde Council simply refuse to use them.
“The
Scottish Parliament’s Antisocial Behaviour Act, for example, gives councils
all sorts of powers to stop our communities being terrorised by the reckless
minority. But, in 2004/05
Inverclyde Council only made a paltry 7 ASBO applications. That’s less than areas like Stirling, the Borders,
Highland, Fife, Falkirk and Renfrewshire. Are
we so lucky that there are only 7 antisocial people in Inverclyde?
“We
gave them stronger powers to deal with dog fouling. Thanks to the Scottish Parliament, the Council now has the
power to mount patrols and give anyone who doesn’t clean up after their dog an
on-the-spot fine. But, for three
years after getting these powers, they simply refused to use them.
“We
also gave them tighter measures to clear abandoned cars – reducing the notice
periods right down to 24 hours in some cases and to 7 days in others.
But local residents and I still have to badger and harass the council to
get them to lift a finger, never mind a smashed up car which is only acts as a
magnet for vandals.”
Mr
McNeil continued, saying that it was not acceptable for Inverclyde to continue
to get this second class service, but that the current leadership of the council
was impervious to reason and argument.
“We
must make them accountable through the ballot box,” he said.
“And,
in next May’s local government elections, we can do just that.
The new voting system could see a Labour Councillor back in Gourock.
A councillor who will actually stand up for the interests of this decent
community, not just the favoured few.”
ENDS
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