Council officers have been accused of bad communication and bin collectors described as “overworked and underpaid”
Belfast councillors have criticised council officers for bad communication after a fifth of the city’s household bin collections were missed over the Christmas period.
On Monday, SDLP Councillor Carl Whyte raised the debate on the matter in City Hall by referring to a report which stated the council had forecast a year-end underspend of £1.3m, largely due to vacant posts across a number of council services. “We just got an email popping into our inbox a couple of days before Christmas, saying sorry, if you have your bin collected on a Tuesday, then tough luck. On the council twitter account I think there was a message on the 23rd.”
People Before Profit Councillor Matt Collins said: “I get the impression there is a bit of a staffing crisis in our council and in our street cleansing. The explanation for the lack of bin collections over Christmas has been simply that we couldn't get staff to volunteer to come in and work on those days, despite the fact that a lot of staff were being offered double time and a day in lieu.
“The crisis over Christmas is a reflection of that. If you speak to any of these staff, they will tell you how pay and conditions have gotten worse over the years. They will tell you now people can earn more money driving for big supermarkets or doing a similar job in the private sector. That is the context we are working with.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Wakefield Council to hike tax and cut services to tackle £24m budget shortfallWakefield Council also plans to increase council tax by 4.99% and put up leisure centre charges.
Read more »
Future of £13.1m Harrogate Council headquarters confirmedHarrogate Borough Council's offices will be used by the new North Yorkshire Council from April.
Read more »
Councillors praises hospital staff during 40 hour Lincoln A&E waitAnother shocking wait at Lincoln A&E, but the staff are doing all they can, the councillor said
Read more »
Geneva Bible valued at up to £10k going under the hammer in BelfastThe copy of the Geneva Bible going under the hammer in Belfast is valued at up to £10,000.
Read more »
Belfast: Office plans dropped in favour of student flatsPlans for a major office scheme in the Smithfield area of Belfast have been dropped in favour of student housing, with developers citing changing working patterns.
Read more »
Belfast office development plans dropped for student housingPlans for an office scheme have been dropped in favour of student accommodation as the re-imagining of the northern part of Belfast city centre continues
Read more »