Joe Churcher
A promised clampdown on pavement-blocking city centre rubbish has been branded a failure after not a single offending firm was fined.
Aberdeen City Council promised tough action three years ago, vowing to confiscate bins and charge firms £500 to get them back.
But it has instead continued to operate a “light touch” approach, to the huge frustration of campaigners including disabled residents.
The Granite City has been described as one of the worst places in the country for bins and bags blocking access and looking unsightly.
Geoff Cooper, city centre manager for Aberdeen Inspired which works to improve the area, said the continued issue was “very frustrating”.
He told a meeting of the Disability Equity Partnership: “It seems to be something Aberdeen suffers from more than other cities.”
Getting around the streets had become “absolute murder” for guide dog users and those in wheelchairs, campaigners added.
The council last week backed the £70,000 employment of two dedicated officers to ensure businesses comply with the rules.
Councillor Jean Morrison, convener of the council’s zero-waste sub-committee said the spending “underlines our commitment to clean up our city centre and tackle business waste”.
However, the council was accused of failing to get a grip, after conceding that it continued to operate a “light touch” approach with offending businesses.
Councillors agreed in 2013 they should use “the full extent” of legal powers available, because persuasion had failed to prevent a “significant increase” in the extent of the problem.
Under tougher sanctions approved at that time, environmental health officers can impound bins and charge bosses £500 each for their return – plus £10 for every day they are stored.
After 10 days, they can be destroyed.
A council spokesman said officers had been “very proactive” during the last nine months and had offered guidance to hundreds of businesses.
While there had been “more formal action” in some cases, it did not extend to fines, he added.
He said: “We have gone down the route of discussion with businesses, but no bins have been impounded or fines levied as yet.
“So far we have taken a light-touch approach. We have talked to businesses on an individual basis.
“However, it may become necessary in future to implement the enforcement actions”.
Wheelchair users and visually-impaired residents have complained they are often forced dangerously out into the road by bins.
Gaelic Lane, Correction Wynd and The Green have been singled out.
SNP opposition leader Stephen Flynn said the council “clearly should be taking a harder line on this”.
As someone with mobility issues himself, he said he fully understood the frustrations of people with disabilities.
“We have had a lot of rhetoric about clamping down. If that is not happening then it’s simply not acceptable.”
Pamela Munro of Guide Dogs said: “It is quite impossible for visually impaired people, who are forced to seek sighted assistance.”
