Perth and Kinross demand snow clearing explanation from Perth and Kinross Council

Jan 8 2010

Andrew Goring says: “I would like to call for Perth and Kinross Council to publish a full explanation in this newspaper as to why the level of public services has fallen so apparently during this period of heavy snow.

“I for one think that we deserve to know why our public authority have fallen so incredibly short in the face of a few inches of snow.

“I live on Vasart Court and our road has not seen any ploughing or gritting. Our refuse collection service has gone two weeks without collection and bin bags are piling up. I work on Victoria Street in the town centre and for days it received no ploughing and even now has not seen any gritting. The street is like an ice rink.

“So far I’ve fallen over twice and helped two, visibly shaken, elderly gentleman back to their feet, one at the top of Princes Street and one on South Street who fell on the slope leading up to the back of HMV and River Island.

“I walk my dog most days on the South Inch where the central dog waste bin has collapsed open and clearly has not been emptied for days, possibly weeks.

“When I called the council phone number, instead of a person I got through to a pre-recorded message telling me that the council offices were closed until the fifth of January! I wondered if I had in fact dialled an incorrect number and was through to a primary school instead of an office housing public servants who we pay to run our local authority.

“Are we just expected to all stay in our houses eating Spam, waiting for some council bod to return from a skiing trip in the Alps and finally get into a gritting machine and relieve us? Because I for one feel that £175 a month in council tax payments should buy me a bit more than utter fecklessness and pre-recorded voice messages.

“And that’s not even factoring in the rates I pay as a local business owner.

“I want Perth and Kinross Council to publish a response in this newspaper that will explain to residents and business owners exactly why their response to a few inches of snow has been so hopeless.”