A war of words erupted over South Lanarkshire’s grass cutting saga with parts of the region described as “slums”.
Deputy leader of the Labour group, Cllr Gerry Convery (East Kilbride Central South) made the comments at a meeting of the council’s executive committee on Wednesday, August 12.
Cllr Convery and SNP council leader John Ross (Hamilton South) were at loggerheads over the issue which has prompted countless residents to contact their local councillor.
He accused the council leader of “not listening” to residents who had written to complain about the lack of grass cutting.
Reports have been made of “waist-high” grass in some areas after the council suspended grass cutting and grounds maintenance services following the UK-wide lockdown in March
Central Scotland MSP Margaret Mitchell has also written to South Lanarkshire Council chief executive Cleland Sneddon over the issue.
Cllr Convery acknowledged that the council “quite rightly” prioritised other areas in response to the crisis but complained on behalf of the constituents who had contacted him.
The Labour group had proposed a possible solution which would have sped up the return of grass cutting across the region and given grounds maintenance employees a boost in pay but it was “turfed out”.
Cllr Convery said: “We want to get back to as near normal as possible.
“We never asked for a full service. We put it to a vote and we got beat, that’s democracy. My ward is like a ... slum.
“Other councils were two months ahead of us. East Kilbride is a mess.
“We’ve been arguing this forever.”
Cllr Ross responded: “You put forward a motion that would have cost the council £250,000.
“It was decided it wasn’t the right decision.”
South Lanarkshire Council previously admitted it could take 12 weeks to get round all the areas requiring cutting as a result of coronavirus restrictions and the resulting height of the grass.
Officers have also said that a full resumption of grounds maintenance may not be possible in 2020.
