Glasgow parks staff won’t be on refuse collection this winter, council reveals

Workers employed to maintain Glasgow’s parks and gardens will not be redeployed this winter to deal with refuse collections as part of the council’s winter maintenance programme.

The local authority has hired additional staff for its parks to help carry out necessary work over the coming months to prepare them for the spring and summer cutting season.

The issue was raised at yesterday’s full council meeting after concerns were raised about the decision to suspend the International Rose Trials at Tollcross Park indefinitely.

Councillor Stephen Docherty asked: “Why has this city administration allowed Glasgow’s professional Horticultural reputation to be damaged further by this course of action.

“The dear green place has become a wilderness and Glasgow’s best park isn’t in Glasgow it is in East Renfrewshire – Rouken Glen Park.”

Elected members were advised there were ongoing budgetary pressures within the council and staff numbers have decreased over the last 25 years.

Councillor Ruiari Kelly said: “In terms of the parks that we have at the minute – there are a huge number of excellent parks across Glasgow.

“Despite the ongoing issues that every local authority has, public perception and public satisfaction with our parks is one of the highest we have across the council.

“To try and insinuate that the best parks we have in Glasgow aren’t actually in Glasgow I think is insulting to that staff we have here.

“We also have gone through a recruitment process and will have a number of additional staff in our parks and we have a new winter programme put in place this year to ensure park staff remain in parks doing a lot of the work we know needs to be done over the winter period to prepare the parks for the spring and summer cutting season.

“We will have a winter plan in place that won’t pull them away to do refuse collections which has been an issue in the past.

“These are the measures we are taking to ensure out parks remain a pleasurable place for people in Glasgow to spend their time.”