Dingwall demands action over poor upkeep of town as residents raise concerns with Highland Council
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After months of complaints about the upkeep of areas of Dingwall, residents are now demanding: "Reduce our council tax or do your job".
Feelings in the county town are running high about the way in which Highland Council are "ignoring" the area, in spite of its plans to build new paths.
Residents want the local authority to maintain what they already have before diving in to build new areas that will also require its attention.
Caroline Thomas (64), who is a cashier in a lawyer's firm in Inverness but lives in Dingwall, says she is concerned that volunteers are putting in the hard work of making beautiful floral displays. but that when it comes to the pavements and car parks in the town, no one seems to be taking the time to make them presentable.
She said: "What must people think when they look at Dingwall? It is as though it has been forgotten.
"There used to be a man, employed by the council, who worked very hard around the town to keep everything as it should be. But I have not seen him for a long time.
"It is just shabby looking, weeds everywhere and very few people are taking charge of the way the town looks. It looks as though the town has been forgotten about."
Douglas Connal (41), from Bayne Drive, said he has had enough. He said: "We have been complaining about the streets and the pot holes and the general unkempt look around the place, and no one is listening. I do not want to be standing in front of anyone complaining. We want a solution. What about planting all the verges with wild flowers? It alleviates one problem and offers a solution.
"The evidence is everywhere and it is unbelievable.
"The pavement is so bad in our street with potholes someone could quite easily be seriously injured.
"The potholes around where we live are disgusting, the council can not maintain the routes they have, yet they are planning to build a new path.
"I feel as though the council are getting paid to do nothing. We run a business and if we behaved the way the council do to our customers then we would never get paid.
"Why then are we paying council tax? If they can not do the job, then we should not be paying the council tax to them."
Michelle Gamble (40), also from Bayne Drive, said: "It is ridiculous we have been complaining for months about this, and we have been raising issues about the state of the place, and it was only last week that a council van came round to survey the road."
While Jess Richmond (48), who lives near the town centre said: "'Hello' is anyone listening, we are still here. We have survived, almost, the pandemic. Is anyone coming from the council to do their job?
"Volunteers are now doing what the council is meant to do. I think Mr Connal is right, we should stop paying a portion of council tax to get the area fixed."
A Highland Council spokesman said: “We have a process in place regarding potholes and all incidents that are reported are followed up. The Highland Council Roads Service has continued to deliver front line services throughout the Covid-19 restrictions. Our focus has been urgent road defects and winter maintenance and remains so.
“Where resources and restrictions have permitted we have undertaken routine maintenance works.
"In the meantime we refer people to our factsheet on pot holes that is on our website and encourage anyone to report any they spot to us https://www.highland.gov.uk/downloads/file/20457/pothole_factsheet
"People can use our simple online reporting process www.highland.gov.uk/report or can telephone 01349 886601.”
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