Aberdeen’s squad of city wardens has halved in size over the last decade, slumping in 2022.
Tasked with keeping the city “moving, clean and safe”, full-time-equivalent (FTE) hours have plummeted since 2013.
New figures, seen exclusively by The Press And Journal, have revealed the scale of the diminution of the team patrolling the streets.
Anti-social behaviour issues in Aberdeen city centre
And they come as safety concerns are raised over anti-social behaviour in Aberdeen city centre.
Police have advised city chiefs that they want CCTV fitted in the Victorian park “at the soonest” to combat this.
Aberdeen City Council won’t publicly commit to a date to have the cameras fitted.
But force insiders have pointed to the lack of city wardens as an additional strain on bobbies pounding the beat along the Granite Mile.
Officially, a police spokesman declined to comment.
Aberdeen city warden numbers are ‘clearly an area for action’
The city wardens team was staffed for 75 hours a week in 2013, according to Aberdeen City Council estimates we’ve seen.
By last year, cover had been slashed to 37.4 hours a week. It has risen in 2023 to 39.4 FTE.
Communities committee member Martin Greig told The P&J the falling warden figures were “clearly an area for action”.
His Liberal Democrat group jointly leads the council with the SNP after spending a decade in opposition until 2022.
The Hazlehead, Queens Cross and Countesswells councillor said: “Wardens were introduced to make city streets safer and cleaner places for everyone.
“They have an important role to contribute in looking after the interests of all residents.
“It is regrettable to see the steady reduction in numbers over the past ten years. Staffing levels should have been maintained instead of letting them fall so heavily.
“It usually takes time to build professional teams back up after long periods of decline.”
City wardens fell as Aberdeen City Council cut costs
Since 2017, Aberdeen City Council bosses have been working to reorganise the local authority, in a bid to save £125 million.
Hundreds of jobs were cut in the process.
And by September 2018, that cost-cutting had hit the city wardens’ unit.
Formed in 2009, the team combined the council’s parking, environment, and community wardens.
Aberdeen Labour leader Barney Crockett’s group led the council throughout the decline in city warden numbers.
He served as council leader between 2012 and 2014.
Mr Crockett told us: “The decline does not tell the whole story as city wardens’ powers have been diminished by the SNP Scottish Government over the years. Their effectiveness to tackle anti-social problems lies with Police Scotland rather than the wardens now.
“Aberdeen Labour, through leading on Community Planning Aberdeen, introduced initiatives in Torry and other places to tackle, head-on, dog fouling. This was in the main successful.
“For years we have asked the Scottish Government to increase the power of city wardens to give them the real presence within our communities. Unfortunately those powers have never materialised.”
The Dyce, Bucksburn and Danestone councillor said motorists parking on pavements was the city wardens’ “biggest headache”.
The Scottish Government launched a consultation on toughening the law around that issue in 2017. “We are still waiting,” Mr Crockett added.
More council cuts on the cards in Aberdeen
Aberdeen City Council has this year relaunched its cost-cutting project – dubbed target operating model 1.2 (Tom1.2).
It comes as the local authority’s accountants forecast the need to save another £134m by April 2028.
As much as £40m of those potential cuts could hit the city’s wage bill.
Councillors will meet on Wednesday to set their budget, needing to cut around £50m from year-on-year spending.
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