Residents will be aware that, at the re-opening of the Riverside recycling centre last year, after the first lockdown, service provision was reduced and did not include paper/cardboard recycling.   This was due to social distancing and queuing necessity at the time.

I have been pressing for full recycling services to recommence and have now had this helpful update from the City Council’s Waste Services Manager :

“Following the announcement last week we are reviewing the implications and what control measures are now required in line with industry and government guidance.  

We are also speaking with colleagues in neighbouring authorities.  

We are certainly hoping in the coming few weeks that we can re-instate all services to both recycling centres.”

I have asked to be kept updated and will advise residents when I hear further about this.

The network was formed during the first lockdown to support mutual support and collaboration between youth work agencies in Dundee.  

It now has more than a dozen member organisations who are working together on community fundraising from Saturday 28th August to 11th September to support youth work across the city.

You can find out more details at its campaign page at :

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/29000ReasonsDundee

There are 29 000 young people living in Dundee and facing the many challenges of the pandemic and of ordinary life. 

Dundee Youth Work Network members work citywide offering support around emotional and mental health, employability support, housing support, sexual health, LGBT+, support for ADHD, sports coaching, dancing, gaming and anything else young people need.    

With help from friends around the city it is doing lots of different actions around the number 29 or 29 000 and asking people to support this excellent initiative!

Some time ago, the council’s administration group proposed changing the criteria for the adoption of unadopted pavements to widen it to include other unadopted assets that wouls allow some areas that had previously not met the criteria for adoption to be considered in the future, such as cul de sacs and some remote footpaths.

My colleague Councillor Duncan from Broughty Ferry and I had no issue with the change in principle but felt it should be altered only after the current unadopted list had been honoured – indicative dates had been given in relation to streets on the “old” list up to this financial year 2021-22 – and were in the public domain.   

Changing the criteria would potentially mean that indicative dates would not be honoured, but the council administration was not for listening and the change went ahead before the old unadopted footways list had been completed.

There were six outstanding schemes in the West End on the “old” list and I recently asked the Senior Engineer in the council’s Roads Maintenance Partnership what the position with them is :

“I have had a look at the list and interpolated the positions of the schemes you asked about.

At current budget levels we do roughly 15 schemes a year

I have put the place in the list beside the address : 

1. Elliot Road At Tennis Courts, East Footway – Footpaths on Elliot Road all adopted

2. Rockfield Crescent – This financial year

3. Roxburgh Terrace  South Footway – Place 235 in list – roughly 2036-37

4. Millhall Crescent remote path to No 3,5,7,9 &11 – Place 279 in list roughly 2039-40

5. Dunmore Gardens – This financial year

6. Norwood Terrace – This financial year”

On the “old” criteria, Roxburgh Terrace south footway would have been upgraded and adopted last year so will now be done 16 years late.     Millhall Crescent’s path covering numbers 3 to 11 would have been improved this financial year and is now scheduled to be done 18 years late.

In the West End, this affects only two pavements but the issue will exist in other wards and could have been avoided by changing the criteria for adoption from 2022-23.