Cancelled Easter bin collections in Dumfries and Galloway could be subject of emergency council meeting

An emergency council meeting could be held to address why bin collections were cancelled over the Easter holiday break.

The unexpected last-minute call off of waste uplifts on Good Friday and Easter Monday sparked outrage among residents across Dumfries and Galloway, with thousands of kerbside collections now delayed by between two and four weeks.

Dumfries and Galloway Council’s new Conservative administration has been trashed by rival politicians over the debacle.

Councillor Archie Dryburgh, leader of the Labour group, described the situation as a “complete failure” by the Tories, and claimed council leader Gail Macgregor tried to blame workers and trade unions for the mess.

However, Councillor Macgregor refused to respond to his comments, saying Labour were “misrepresenting the position”.

Mr Dryburgh said: “Everyone knew the Easter break was coming up and proper plans should have been put in place long before now to provide a service.

“Clearly there is unhappiness among staff and that hasn’t been helped by a clumsy comment by the leader of the council who has accused workers of being political because they didn’t work on their days off.”

The comment he is referring to is a tweet posted by Mrs Macgregor on the bins not being collected, where she wrote: “Deeply disappointing and not, I understand, replicated in other local authorities.

“I sincerely hope this is not politically motivated and a practical solution can be found.”

The first news of the bin collections being cancelled over the Easter break came last Wednesday evening when the local authority made the surprise announcement online.

The decision, revealed on the council’s website, and posted on social media sparked angry comments from hundreds of householders and councillors.

On Facebook, there were nearly 1,000 comments posted by residents, as well as more than 700 shares of the announcement.

No alternative arrangements were made and thousands of the kerbside collections will now take place between two and four weeks later.

The Labour group will now seek support from other political groups to call for an emergency full council meeting “so elected members can get to the bottom of this debacle.”