A charity working on a community project at a church is being undermined by a mean-spirited council employee, according to its founder.
Garry King claims a senior member of staff at North Lanarkshire Council’s (NLC) recycling centres won’t allow him to dump waste from a project they're working on at St Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Wishaw.
Garry set up Go Together, which was awarded charitable status earlier this year, to provide help to people who are isolated, elderly, disabled, or struggling with every day tasks that many take for granted.
A key focus of their work is helping local people who are recovering from addiction issues.
Based at the church Belhaven Terrace, the group has also been busy carrying out improvements to the grounds there and building a drop-in centre.
He believes the organisation is being unjustly dealt with at the recycling centres.
He told Lanarkshire Live: “I’d been avoiding going to Netherton because the guy’s attitude was ridiculous down there.
"So I was going to Shotts and Bellshill but they just said, ‘you’re on camera and our boss says you’re not allowed in'. I asked who he was, but they said they’re not obliged to give me his name.
“You have to book in and every time I book the trailer in with the stuff from the church, I’m having to take it back again because they won’t let me in.
“They said I was running a business because I had tools in the back of the motor. I told them it’s volunteering work at the church. It’s off-cuts of wood and things like that, and we cut the hedges and the grass for the church as well as part of an agreement.
“They are running out the office when I go down as if I’m public enemy number one.
“One day I went in anyway. I told them they could stop me physically if they wanted but I wasn’t loading the stuff onto a trailer to take it back and unload it again.”
Garry has spoken to councillors and Motherwell and Wishaw MSP Clare Adamson about the issue. He also took advice from the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA).
He added: “I’ve spoken to SEPA on their helpline and explained we’re a charity and we’re trying to improve the church grounds.
"They told me I needed to fill in a form online and they sent me out a certificate. I’ve taken it down to the council recycling centre but they told me I still wasn’t getting in and it wasn’t worth the paper it was written on.
“NLC are trying to say it’s commercial waste. It’s off-cuts and bits of old wooden chairs that we replaced.
“I could see the point if it was sheets of asbestos we were trying to dump you could see their point of view, but it’s bits of timber and cardboard.”
A spokesman for NLC said: “We are not aware of any issues with access by Mr King on behalf of the charity.
"We would ask him to contact our waste service to discuss any concerns directly.”
To get in touch with Go Together call 07927 7515 76 or email: go-together@hotmail.com