NOTEBOOK by BILL HEANEY
The whole point of having a public relations team and an impressive website is to show people how good you are, how lovely the area you live in is, and how the services you deliver are first class.
Despite spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on public relations and communications, West Dunbartonshire Council appears to believe the exact opposite.
Instead of keeping the public informed about the positive things that are happening between the banks of the River Clyde and Loch Lomond, they publish a weekly column which keeps people up to date with how bad things are here and what a midden this place has become.
It’s not a good PR strategy. In fact, it’s a hopeless and very costly strategy. It’s embarrassing and even astonishing when you look at the number of complaints the council attracts to its very own complaints column.
Here are some of the most recent examples.
Bonhill woman Ashley Denver has drawn the public’s attention to the fact that Dillichip has been allowed to become something of a dive. Through Council neglect, of course.
She asked the lead PR Amanda Graham, who is being paid a cool £130,000 a year for taking calls about uncollected bins and broken pavements.
And passing them on to “the team” who in many cases seem to do nothing to fix things:
“Can you advise why this part of the grass hasn’t been cut down the Dillichip when it’s a well used area? How are the kids meant to play in that?”
Erin Liddell wrote that she had seen the same reply numerous times to the grass getting cut question (haven’t we all?”“But I’m wondering if this means all grass in West Dunbartonshire will not be cut at all this year except the edges?
“Is there a big cut for each area going to be done at least once? The whole of Bellsmyre is now at knee height if not longer.”
Myra Mailey Rodgers says the tree at back of 69 Risk Street needs trimmed – “it’s so overgrown makes it look a mess.”
Kirstie Gray lives in the West End: “The new park in Castlehill is very, very overgrown. I mean the actual play area. My daughter is five, and the grass at some bits are almost her height.”
Morning when are the council going to cut all the grass around the Shire? It makes everywhere look disgusting and a haven for rats that seem to appear everywhere, one complainer wrote.
Helen Jordan said: “Someone posted this on another group yesterday. You couldn’t make this up, who in their right mind would leave this?”
Pami Diamond added: “Someone needs to sort the mess beside the clothing bank bin in the car park beside the chemist in Merkins Avenue … someone keeps fly tipping and it’s just been left and not cleaned up now! No wonder there so many rats kicking about. Also the council need to sort the grass at kids parks. It’s disgraceful!”
Elizabeth Heron complained: “Again, can you contact greenspace once again to get the hedge that runs down the pavement on Waverley Terrace [Westcliff]. It’s about15ft tall and its taking up the full pavement . You can’t see cars coming around the corner making it extremely dangerous.”
Christine Voisey said: “I get the biodiversity bits getting left but this in Dilli park is a joke. Kids have got to play somewhere.”
And Christine McFall told Amanda: “We all get it that grass cutting ain’t happening, but not cutting the parks is taking it too far. Braeside park in Bellsmyre is a crap park as it is, never mind the length of the grass, you can loss a child in it.”
Linda Andrews: “Hi Amanda could you tell me how much the council gave out in grants to other organisations the year 2024to2025.
“Would it not be better getting your own house in order? Spare money could then go to these organisations.
“Once you have maintained public services like grass cutting then the money should of course go to them.
“But public services should always come first. After all it is council tax payers money. Here are a few pictures of a ten minute walk in West Dunbartonshire.
Things are so bad with rubbish, litter, fly dumping and sewage spills along the Clydeshore that the residents are doing the clearing up themselves.
Carolyn Hutchison said: “Romanfest is on in Old Kilpatrick on 28th June. I would hope that the council cut the grass and deal with the overgrown weeds on the verges before that.”
Chrissy Graham put it bluntly: “Cut the grass.”
Marthe McCann added: “I know the grass cutting isn’t getting done but there are very large weeds growing on the stairs leading from Dumbuck Road to Argyll Avenue.
“I have to walk through them and if it’s raining my clothes get soaked. It’s even worse if carrying shopping or for children. Can these at least be dealt with please?”
Siobhan Marczenko pleaded: “Could someone advise what parts of Bellsmyre are for biodiversity and which aren’t as the entire place just looks like a jungle.
“It makes dog walking near impossible. No wonder people are not clearing up after their dogs. Complete disgrace to look at everywhere.”
Carolann Ford is yet another Bellsmyre resident who is unhappy with the Council. She wrote: “Grass and weeds is becoming a disgusting mess. Build new schools and Astro turf football parks, and the surrounding area is a disgrace.
“As for the survey on maintaining parks for kids, where in Bellsmyre is a decent park?”
And Corrina Lacey makes a good point: “Why has the shore path to Havoc been fenced off with no access for people with prams/wheelchairs etc?”
Charlene McLellan is one of many who are waiting on the mountain of rubbish to be picked up from the recycle bins at Merkins Avenue.
She wrote: “It has been reported three times and someone had called me regarding the complaint but nothing has happened and it’s been weeks now, it’s spreading all over the car park now.”
Ann Harrison said: “I actually don’t know why this [council complaints] page exists. People ask questions and are told to contact someone else and ref the grass it’s the same reply everytime. Just copy and paste while the whole of the area is an absolute disgrace.
“The Council have the cheek to want to encourage visitors to come to Dumbarton. What for? Absolutely nothing to offer, no decent shops and the whole area a disgrace with grass just left to grow.”
Duncan Mckerracher had some sage words for Amanda and for the councillors who pay her handsome wages – “People need to demonstrate outside the Labour Party councillors’ surgeries and demand the grass gets cut.
“How many £millions does the council pay for PFI contracts Labour signed pre 2007. Are we still paying for them? How much extra NI is the council paying in money that should be getting put into services.”
And indignant councillors who have banned The Democrat from asking questions have the brass neck to complain that we are the ones who are stirring things up for them.
Not before time, I say.
I noticed something yesterday which suggested that while coming up with plans to re-deploy people within the Council in order to save money, consideration should be given to, for example, diverting carers to fill in for lollipop persons [crossing patrols] when there are absences. And maybe even vice versa.
Councillors and their chief officials who are drawing up these plans appear to believe that council employees in the “lower ranks” have a lot of time on their hands, which is a fallacy.
The people with time on their hands at WDC are the chief officials themselves and councillors who contribute so little.
When a lollipop person takes the day off or a binman,or even that woman who sits on the Complaints Desk, doesn’t turn up for work then maybe the councillors, who get paid between £25,000 and £50,000 a year plus expenses, could be asked to fill in for them. Maybe they could even cut the grass THEMSELVES?