PROPOSALS TO MAKE BUDGET CUTS ON BOWLING CLUBS SHOULD BE DITCHED NOW

By Bill Heaney

Just when bowls is becoming almost respectable. And when the old Billy and Dan culture has mostly been ditched by the players.

And when “boolers” of all age groups have settled down to coming together for a game or ten on local bowling greens.

West Dunbartonshire Council – who else? – stepped in with a suggestion for yet another cack-handed budget cut, which could lead to our veterans having to jack it in.

Community Party councillor Jim Bollan may have come to their rescue, however.

Cllr Bollan, right, told me: “I met this morning with reps from the seniors bowling clubs in the Vale. Haldane, Bonhill, Christie Park and Renton, to say they were distraught at the threat of closure again of their clubs, is putting it mildly.

“The benefits these clubs bring to their members go far beyond bowls. They see them as a social hub for seniors to meet, socialize, and vitally reduce isolation. Budget cuts to save £22,000 is a false economy.”

To even have a cut of this nature on their suggestions for where the axe might fall is politically naive.

And that’s being kind to people who don’t deserve it.

There are so many other proposals going before the Council that fall into the same category.

These include:

Remove P6 swimming lessons
Reducing spend on Highland Games
Reduce school music instructors
Reduction in Arts and Heritage
Reduce School Clothing Grant to the statutory level
Reduce Education Maintenance Allowance to the statutory level
Charge for instrumental music tuition
Remove public toilet provision
Reduce school crossing patrollers
Reduce footway gritting
Close or reduce Dalmuir Golf Course
Cease Care of Gardens scheme
Reduce Street cleaning
Reduce Street lighting
Reduce park maintenance
Cease weed killing
Reduce waste services
Reduce grass cutting

Take the last two of these. How could anyone have the political vacuum between their ears to suggest reducing grass cutting when there were so many objections to just that being introduced over the past few years?

As for waste services, the proposal to cut back on them when you see the Council’s complaints columns on-line and the huge number of complaints which are related to bins, the council should be looking to expand and improve waste services, not cut them..

If they would really like to see our housing estates look worse than they do at present then ceasing the garden maintenance sheme for elderly and disabled people would quickly tke them in that direction.

Anyway, the garden maintenance service should be retained.

We have entered into an era of DIY Dunbartonshire. The Council are screwing us for money to do ourselves jobs we are already paying them to do.

Keeping the streets clean and the open spaces tidy is basic to local government services.

Councillors should stop complaining and just do it. The are paid between £25,000 and £50,000 a year plus expenses to do it.

Like a football team that has brought derision on its own head by not performing what they are well paid to do, West Dunbartonshire Council must look at the players and management and make brave decisions about the future.