Councillor Kenny MacLaren (SNP – Paisley Northwest) has said that Scotland is “tackling poverty with one hand tied behind our backs”, following revelations the SNP Scottish Government has spent almost £400m in four years plugging the gaps created by Tory austerity. Continue reading
“We would encourage everyone to go online and get involved in this consultation, let the Scottish Government know what you want to see in a deposit return scheme,” said Councillor Kenny MacLaren (SNP – Paisley Northwest) and Councillor Stephen Burns (SNP – Paisley Southwest), commenting on the recently launched Scottish Government consultation on the introduction of a deposit return scheme. Continue reading
“Renfrewshire is one of the worst examples of Labour’s PFI swindles, where buildings worth about £100million will end up costing Renfrewshire taxpayers over £530million”, said Councillor Kenny MacLaren (SNP – Paisley Northwest). Continue reading
“The continued increase in the number of fixed penalty notices (fines) for litter highlight that action is at long last being taken to seriously tackle this issue,” said Councillor Kenny MacLaren (SNP – Paisley Northwest). Continue reading
“The Transport (Scotland) Bill includes new powers for local councils to allow them to seriously tackle the scourge of parking on pavements” said Councillor Kenny MacLaren (SNP – Paisley Northwest) welcoming the publication of the Transport (Scotland) Bill late last week.
Previously the SNP MSP Sandra White was trying to introduce legislation against parking on pavements in 2016 but her attempts ran out of time. This new proposed Bill as well as dealing with the creation of low emission zones and allowing councils to run bus services, brings in stricter legislation on the issue of drivers parking on pavements. Cllr MacLaren has highlighted this problem a number of times – particularly in the Marchfield Avenue area of Paisley – where residents are often faced with vehicles parked on pavements making it difficult for those with mobility problems or even parents with prams.
Councillor Kenny MacLaren added:
“The new legislation once enacted will tighten up the laws around pavement parking making it easier to tackle pavement parking, passing powers to community wardens to issue fines.
“Too many drivers park irresponsibly, causing problems for those who have mobility problems and then have to face walking on the road to get past the vehicle blocking the pavement.
“The Transport (Scotland) Bill still has to go through the full parliamentary process but I know many residents and communities within Paisley will welcome the powers to finally tackle irresponsible and antisocial drivers.”
“The increase in the number of fixed penalty notices (fines) for litter and dog fouling highlight that action is at long last being taken to seriously tackle these issues,” said Councillor Kenny MacLaren (SNP – Paisley Northwest).
Despite Renfrewshire slipping down the league table of councils when it comes to street cleanliness, falling as far as 30 out of 32 when Labour were in power, there has not been sufficient focus on fining those who refuse to pick up their litter or clean up after their dogs. In the past few months Cllr Kenny MacLaren, along with colleagues within the SNP group, have been demanding greater enforcement from community wardens to help clean up Paisley and Renfrewshire.
The latest edition of the council’s Information Bulletin highlighted that the number of fixed penalty notices for littering has increased to 27 with an additional 7 fines issued for dog fouling. In contrast the previous Information Bulletin only recorded 1 fine for litter and 2 for dog fouling.
Councillor Kenny MacLaren added:
“The council is promoting the Team Up to Clean Up campaign, encouraging residents and groups to look after their own areas and to educate them about having a cleaner environment for all. However, by itself this approach could have a limited effect, so increased enforcement will also help to change people’s attitudes to litter and dog fouling.
“The difference between the two most recent Information Bulletins which record this information is startling, with fines for littering increasing from 1 to 27, and fines for dog fouling increasing from 2 to 7.
“I am particularly pleased that a significant increase in the fines issued comes from the Paisley North area – which incorporates Paisley town centre. This has seen 20 fines for litter issued and 4 fines for dog fouling handed out.
“The message should be clear to everyone who drops their litter or refuses to clean up after their dog, the council is serious on greater enforcement.”
