How low can we sink?  The Labour Party in West Dunbartonshire must tonight be asking itself this question after announcing that charges for collecting garden waste will come into effect this summer.

The brown bin tax will come into operation from August 12th, the Glorious Twelfth as it’s has become known amongst the toffs whose grouse shooting season opens that day.

There’s no glory here, however. Quite the opposite in fact. Labour’s faces should be as red as the rosettes they were wearing at the election last week.

Residents who wish to continue having their garden waste collected from their brown bins will require to display a permit which is now available to purchase online at www.west-dunbarton.gov.uk/garden-waste

The hounds that prowl in the corridors of local government in this area must feel that having won the West Dunbartonshire seat in last week’s election with the powder puff Provost Douglas McAllister wearing their red rosette they have conned the lot of us.

They have had the brown bin tax on their list of proposed budget cuts for months but were circumspect about imposing it lest it cost them the votes required to oust the sitting MP Martin Docherty Hughes from our place on the Westminster green benches.

Now they have done that – did anyone ever think that the electorate could have been taken in so easily? – the Labour Group are going ahead with their plans to wring more and more cash out of the rapidly emptying purses and wallets  of residents struggling amidst the Cost of Living Crisis?

Crisis, what crisis I can hear the likes of Cllrs Martin Rooney, David McBride, Michelle McGinty and, of course Provost Douglas McAllister, who can now, on his £91,000 a year salary – not including expenses and the perks of the job – join Sir Keir Starmer’s 411-strong red brigade.  Working class my ass.

The GB Energy company that he has put at the top of his list of things Labour plans to do for Scotland now that they are in power and has been woefully researched and costed will blow up like the Piper Alpha.

And will Anas Sarwar and Jackie Baillie ever be given permission to remove the two-child cap on child benefits? Watch this space.

Down here in the real world that is Dumbarton and Clydebank, we’ll have to keep cutting through the rhetoric to find the truth of what’s going on in politics local and national and stand firm against their ongoing attempts to gag The Dumbarton Democrat.

Their spin doctors, wound up from the back, set the ball rolling with this brown bin tax announcement.

What will it cost us? They didn’t disclose that first. Like snake oil salesmen, they gave the figures for what we would SAVE first.

“The permit has been reduced to £26 for 2024/25 due to implementation of the scheme part way through the year, with a full-year permit costing £60 from 2025/26,” they wrote in their media release..

“Permit holders will be entitled to fortnightly garden waste collections between April and November each year, making the cost equivalent to approximately £3.75 per uplift.

“The permit, in the form of a sticker clearly marking which address it belongs to, will be mailed out to those who sign up and should be displayed on brown bins. Clear instructions will be provided on the permit itself.

“Only bins with valid permits will have their garden waste collected, however residents who do not sign up for a garden waste permit can still use the brown bin to dispose of food waste.”

Convener of Infrastructure, Regeneration and Economic Development [they like big titles to match their big egos], Councillor David McBride, said: “In common with councils across the country, we are having to consider how we can continue to deliver the services our communities rely on with reduced funding.

“Council tax does not cover a statutory collection of garden waste and up until this point it was something we provided residents with free of charge, however the cost of this has now become prohibitive.

“Due to the financial challenges the Council faces, with a £17million budget shortfall for 2024/25, and an increase in landfill tax rates by the Scottish Government this year, it is not possible to continue delivering services in the same way. Our focus, therefore, is on protecting frontline services and jobs where possible.”

So there you have it – “It’s no oor fault. It wisnae us.” He blamed the Scottish SNP Government. 

Cllr McBride seems to have no problem kicking a man when he is down. Indeed he had no problem kicking the residents of Haldane and closing their library. Again, he blamed the SNP for that.

Question: If the Opposition can’t oppose the administration’s decisions then who can? Cllr McBride is part of the Labour powder puff opposition, which so meekly accepted and implemented those SNP budget cuts for five years without a whimper of protest.

His political poodle, Vice Convener of Infrastructure, Regeneration and Economic Development, Councillor Lawrence O’Neill, said: “Most Councils across Scotland already charge for this service while some others do not collect garden waste at all. I would urge anyone who wishes to continue to have their garden waste collected from their property to sign up to the scheme now and benefit from the maximum number of collections available this year.”

So, like the council itself, the residents should squeeze as much as they can until the pips squeak.

He said: “Residents can sign up for the scheme now. The easiest and quickest way to purchase a permit is online via the Council’s website at www.west-dunbarton.gov.uk/garden-waste where you can also find answers to Frequently Asked Questions. Those who are unable to complete the online form can call the Council on 01389 738282.”

Join the queue friends and neighbours. The council have a miserable track record for answering questions.

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