Renfrewshire Council is to reverse its decision on the recent changes to waste amenity sites in Johnstone, Erskine, Linwood and Renfrew following concerns from local communities.
The Council recently unmanned the sites, leaving the site on Underwood Road in Paisley as the only site that accepts all household waste in Renfrewshire, causing traffic chaos and an increase in flytipping.
Council Leader Mark Macmillan said the decision reflected a period of review where he had considered the impacts and issues raised by Renfrewshire residents regarding the changes.
Councillor Macmillan said: “It is important that we are able to consider the concerns that have been raised by communities affected by these changes and following a review, I have taken the decision to restore the services at Johnstone, Erskine, Linwood and Renfrew.
“As a council we have a duty to provide a balanced budget. However it is clear that many residents felt that these changes were having a significant impact. It is right we reflect those concerns and that is why I have made this decision.”
SNP MSP Derek Mackay MSP said: “I am delighted to hear that Labour in Renfrewshire Council have finally taken this decision. This was a situation which was totally unavoidable from the start.
“This long overdue u-turn by Labour is down to the hard work and pressure of locals and community groups from across Renfrewshire over the past 10 months. They deserve great credit for the campaign they have ran.”
Gavin Newlands, SNP MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North, has responded to Renfrewshire Council’s decision to overturn the decision to downgrade the amenity sites in Renfrew, Erskine, Linwood and Johnstone.
Mr Newlands said: “I’m delighted that Renfrewshire Council has finally seen the sense and has reversed their decision to downgrade the amenity sites in Johnstone, Renfrew, Erskine and Linwood.”
“The badly thought out changes led to increased flytipping across Renfrewshire and long queues at the Underwood Road facility in Paisley.”
“I challenged the Council leader Mark MacMillan to consult with the public on the changes and now the Council have overturned their decision following complaints from local residents.
“The Council clearly didn’t evaluate what the impact of the downgrading would be, but nevertheless I’m glad they have performed a U-turn and decided to listen to the people of Renfrewshire.”
The Council Leader met with representatives of Renfrewshire community councils on Monday evening and heard first hand about some of the issues affecting communities.
Councillor Macmillan added: “It is important to hear directly from those who represent their local communities about the day to day issues that affect them.
“I am keen to work closely with community councils and a range of other groups in the coming months as we start to prepare for next year’s budget to ensure that their views are heard.”
Renfrewshire South MSP, Tom Arthur has welcomed the news that the recycling centres Johnstone and Linwood are to be reinstated with a full workforce.
Commenting on the decision, Tom Arthur said: “I welcome the U-turn by Labour-controlled Renfrewshire Council to fully reinstate services at Linwood and Johnstone recycling centres.
“This is testimony to the hard work and perseverance of local campaigners and I congratulate them on securing a victory.
“For too long, Labour have ignored the interests of Johnstone, Linwood and the villages. This successful campaign by the local communities demonstrates that the people of Renfrewshire South are no longer willing to be treated as an after-thought by the Labour administration.”
It is expected the changes will be implemented over the next few months.