A private company could be drafted in to deal with overflowing bins and dirty streets in Oban’s busy town centre.
The suggestion was made by the area’s lead councillor after it emerged that the local authority team was finishing work at 4pm – and had no steam cleaner for the streets.
Argyll and Bute Council’s amenity performance manager Stuart McCracken prepared a briefing note to go before yesterday’s Oban Lorn and the Isles area committee meeting.
The note confirmed the arrangements for street cleaning in Oban, following a 25% cut in the budget last financial year.
Details of the hours worked by the council’s three street sweepers for Oban were provided.
Mr McCracken also said that the mechanical sweeper, the green machine, was lost in the Mill Park Depot fire in November last year.
He wrote: “A like for like replacement is proving difficult to source and officers are currently in the process of procuring an alternative mechanical sweeper to use in the Oban area.”
Roddy McCuish, Lead Councillor for Oban Lorn and the Isles said: “It is very disappointing we have this paper in front of us here today.
“The last sweep of the town is happening at 4pm. It really needs to take place at 6pm. Bins are overflowing by the following morning. I want flexibility with these times.
“It really isn’t acceptable to say they can’t find another green machine. I don’t understand why they can’t do that.
“We really need to make sure this is right.”
Councillor Elaine Robertson added: “To my mind they shouldn’t be finishing at 4pm. There has to be a split shift.”
Councillor Iain MacLean said: “A lot of people are very concerned about the streets. We do need to get on top of street cleaning.
“It is a tourism area, the state of the streets is not good.
“It is not down to the personnel it is down to the equipment.”
Councillor Neil MacIntyre was unimpressed. He said: “How on earth can nobody find a steam cleaner to clean our streets? This is beggars belief.”
Council McCuish said that while it pained him to say it, they would consider bringing a private firm in to do the work if amenity services can’t do it.
He said: “I’m proposing if amenity services can’t do this we find an alternative way of doing it.”
Julie McKenzie seconded his proposal, which was agreed unanimously.