Angus Council has responded to public pressure and agreed a further stay of execution for the Monifieth recycling centre.
The service has been under threat for months since the council ruled it was too expensive to keep open.
It will now remain open for at least a further 12 months after council leader Bob Myles tabled a surprise motion to a meeting of the full council in Forfar on Thursday opposing the closure of any Angus skip sites.
#Angus Council leader Bob Myles recommending 12 month stay of execution for #Monifieth recycling centre. Meeting in recess for 15 mins.
— Graham Brown (@C_GBrown1) September 7, 2017
A review of previously approved plans which would have seen Monifieth closed in July was one of the first steps taken by the multi-party administration which swept to Angus power following the local elections earlier this year.
Fair to say #Angus Cl leader's recycling amendment has proved a bit of a bombshell. #Monifieth
— Graham Brown (@C_GBrown1) September 7, 2017
#Angus Cl about to resume to consider Cllr Myles amendment which would delay any skip site closures for 12 months. #LocalMatters pic.twitter.com/yV9wYBlvGD
— Graham Brown (@C_GBrown1) September 7, 2017
Reduced opening hours at #Angus skip sites would still come into place at end of Oct even if Monifieth escapes the axe. #LocalMatters
— Graham Brown (@C_GBrown1) September 7, 2017
#Monifieth recycling centre will remain open for a year after #Angus Cllrs vote 13 – 8 in favour of motion by coalition leader Bob Myles.
— Graham Brown (@C_GBrown1) September 7, 2017
We must make the right decisions, not the quick decisions, said #Angus Cl leader Bob Myles #recycling #Monifieth
— Graham Brown (@C_GBrown1) September 7, 2017
"Nothing ruled in, nothing ruled out" regards future for #Forfar and #Kirrie.
Carless recyclers may yet have to get off the bus at Paddy. https://t.co/Abl3YUU3pr— Graham Brown (@C_GBrown1) September 7, 2017
However, there has been a huge public backlash to the closure proposal.
At a showdown meeting in Forfar today, council leader Bob Myles lodged an amendment recommending that the closure is postponed for a year while further options are considered.
He told councillors: “We must make the right decisions, not the quick decisions.”
The postponement was agreed by 13 votes to 8, although reduced opening hours will still go ahead across a number of sites in Angus.
The strength of feeling had been made clear to Mr Myles and other key council figures when they faced the public at meetings in Monifieth and Kirriemuir in recent days.
The Monifieth closure had been mooted as part of a £250,000 savings package that would merge Forfar and Kirriemuir’s recycling service, possibly at Padanaram.
Monifieth community council chair Sheena Cochrane said: “We’re delighted with this. We hope they can thoroughly review the operation of all the sites and come up with a more permanent solution.”
