Life won't be easy in a city caught short

FAMILIES across the Capital are facing major changes to the day-to-day services they rely on in the wake of the city council's decision to slash its budget over the next two years.

• Rory Reynolds is caught short

Around 32 million has been removed from the 1 billion budget, leading to more than 1200 job losses and drastic changes to the services the local authority provides.

Among the measures expected to affect families most are reducing wheelie bin collections to fortnightly, slashing the city's school budgets and imposing the first across-the-board increase in parking charges in a decade.

Other moves include axing half of Edinburgh's public toilets, to save 413,000, and although council tax will be frozen for the fourth successive year, a rise in the amount city residents pay is expected to be considered for 2012/13.

Burial costs will also rise significantly under the new budget, from 812 for an adult to 877, while the purchase of a right of burial certificate will rise from 925 to 999.

The changes to the current wheelie bin system are among the most controversial and are expected to affect large families most. Eyebrows have also been raised over the implementation of a scheme that has been tried and ditched by other local authorities.

A total of 16 local councils across Britain have returned to weekly collections following either unsuccessful trials or fully implemented fortnightly collections, including East Dunbartonshire Council, Leeds City Council and Southampton City Council, with two more reverting to weekly collections for summer months only.

In addition, the Campaign for Weekly Waste has warned the city could be overrun by rats, maggot infestations, overflowing bins and an increase in fly-tipping, just a few of the problems being attributed to fortnightly bin collections. Nevertheless, the city council has announced plans to follow 19 other local authorities in Scotland by getting rid of the weekly bin round in an attempt to save around 900,000.

Among the other councils in Scotland to move to a fortnightly bin collection was Aberdeen City Council. Aberdeen's Labour group secretary, Willie Young, said there were still problems as a result of the move, including an increase in litter on the streets from overflowing bins, with seagulls often having a "field day".

"I fear for the people of Edinburgh, because it hasn't worked for us and I can't see it working for them," he said. "I think there's an acceptance from the residents in Aberdeen that we are now into a fortnightly bin collection, but the problems associated with it are still the same. "I would say to Edinburgh council not to follow Aberdeen's example because if they do, they are going to find that the city isn't as clean as it once was and they will have all the problems that we have got."

South of the Border where reductions in collections have been made, thousands of bins have been stolen and then sold back to desperate homeowners for as much as 80.

Bin men in England also suffered more than three attacks a week by householders angry at rubbish collection cutbacks during a 12-month period.

Residents in Perth and Kinross have complained of problems with maggots while Renfrewshire Council, which introduced fortnightly collections in September 2009, said it had seen fly-tipping increase.

Doretta Cocks, founder of the Campaign for Weekly Waste, which has more than 30,000 members across the UK, believes the move will cause "almighty problems" with rats and maggots in Edinburgh. "I just think it's essential in a city to have weekly collections for public health purposes," she said.

City leaders say the fortnightly move, expected to be introduced in the next financial year, will be introduced in parallel with better recycling services.

City environment leader Councillor Robert Aldridge said: "We have made great progress in improving our recycling service, with year-round garden refuse collection, new plastic bottle and battery recycling and a food waste recycling scheme due to start shortly. This allows us to reshape our refuse collection and recycling services."

Who will help out when you're fit to burst?

RORY REYNOLDS

TO pee or not to pee - that is the question that could be facing locals after the council announced plans to axe half the city's public toilets.

They've suggested locals simply ask the nearest business if they can pop in for a pit stop.

So is this a loo-dicrous suggestion? I loaded up with seven large cups of water and headed off in search of merciful relief.

First stop was Tollcross public loos. There I met minicab driver Terry Johnson, 55, who had driven from Royal Terrace. "It's a nightmare for taxi drivers, but there's no way I'm asking in pubs and coffee shops."

Moving on to the Edinburgh Central Hall charity shop, I was greeted with funny looks.

"It's kind of behind a locked door" said friendly worker Judith Herring. "So perhaps not".

Luckily Lothian Road's Salvo Cafe, run by Salvo Rosso, was close at hand. "It Italy it's part of your service, so I never say no, the 52-year-old said.

Walking from Tollcross to Haymarket, I arrived at the Morrison Street loos, surely the city's second worst toilet after Middle Meadow Walk.

"There's a public toilet literally across the road" Haymarket Station barman Simon Traynor said, but adding that he didn't mind if I used theirs.

Across the road, I met a similar response from coffee shop Dimitri's. "If someone wasn't well we'd be like, 'just use it'" said Marcus Corrieri, "but it's kind of just for staff".

After being met with the same response a few times, I was relieved, literally, when the Station Cafe on Morrison Street helped me out. "I hope that one across the road closes. It's awful. And it would be good for business for me," says owner Ahmet Sahin, 33.

A walk ended at the National Gallery of Scotland, a few yards from the Princes Street Gardens toilets. "We are more than happy to allow people to use our facilities," the doorman proudly stated.

At the nearby Wash Bar on The Mound, duty manager Mike Henry said: "Most people have the manners to ask, and we never say no."

At Nicolson Square, the Captain's Bar was more than accommodating, and at Middle Meadow Walk I was spared the graffiti-daubed health hazard due to several accommodating pubs. The vast majority of the business-owners of Edinburgh were more than helpful.

That's a relief.