Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 11th April 2024 Issue no. 1109
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Job losses fears at Newport City Council with prospects of move to three-weekly bin collections
GMB, the union for public service workers, fears that new proposals for cuts in Newport City Council will lead to serious job losses in the Street Scene and Greens Departments.
There are proposals to move to three-weekly (that's once every three weeks) bin collections and to cut back on grass cutting to 50% of the recommended average. There will also be heavy job losses in street cleaning operations and cuts within the Council's cemetery operations.
Rowena Hayward, GMB regional officer, says: "There are new proposals behind the scenes for cuts within the Street scene and Greens departments which will mean that the citizens of Newport will find themselves in a city that may become less inviting to live in.
"There are proposals to move to three-weekly bin collections, to cut back on grass cutting to 50% of the recommended average. The proposed cuts within the cemetery operations will mean splitting services between sites on allocated days.
"Cutbacks in drainage and canal maintenance will increase risk of flooding and reduce public access to canal footpaths. The canal projects have received substantial funding grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Welsh Government and others.
"These continuing service cuts and job losses do nothing to inspire confidence amongst Newport residents who work for the authority.
"Newport City Council continues to highlight the revamping of the city centre and promoting the city as an exciting and pleasant place to live.
"The council has loaned developers 90 million pounds to ensure completion of the city centre project. They may face costs of £4 to £7 million per year if developers default on repayment.
"The city centre may become a shining beacon of retail and recreation enticing visitors from far and wide but there is a very real danger that the residential areas will become dirty and overgrown with pavements not covered with gold but with waste from overflowing bins. The city may be the place to shop but will it be the place to live?"
5th November 2015