A ROW flared up over an attempt by Labour to restore the £650,000 funding for grass cutting in parks and cemeteries in West Dunbartonshire.

In March the SNP ruling administration on West Dunbartonshire Council made cuts to 16 council services over the next year to save more than £1million. It included saving £650,000, over the course of three years, by reducing grass cutting in parks and cemeteries, flower planting and litter picking.

Their budget was delivered by 12 votes to eight despite a late bid by the opposition Labour Party who presented what they called a “no-cuts budget”. Labour’s alternative budget proposals included a total rejection of all SNP proposed cuts to local services.

But the “grass cutting” row erupted again during this week’s corporate services meeting of the council, chaired by SNP Councillor Ian Dickson, when he announced that WDC Voluntary Services (WDCVS) paid out grants totalling £169,659 during 2017/18. This left a balance of £30,341 unspent.

Cllr Dickson moved that the unspent money be used to lessen the cuts being imposed on grass cutting in parks and cemeteries, flower planting and litter picking.

Cllr Dickson said: “If any more money becomes available we will mitigate the cuts further. The care of gardens scheme is not part of this.”

This sparked a furious response from Labour councillors who one after another lambasted the convener and the SNP administration as “pathetic”, and having a desire to “cover over flowerbeds”.

Councillor David McBride asked: “Do you honestly think £30k is sufficient to mitigate these cuts? There are 24 flower beds and you want to grass over 16 of them in Levengrove Park. In my 11 years as a councillor it is unprecedented for so many people to come to me and complain about one subject – grass cutting.”

Labour leader, Cllr Martin Rooney said: “How pathetic is that. You have a desire to cover over flowerbeds. These were donated by benefactors over generations.”

The opposition put forward a counter motion, noting the underspent of £30,341 and calling on the committee to reverse the SNP administrations “draconian cuts” to ground maintenance and grass cutting.

Labour called on funding to be taken from the council’s reserves and the head of finance to put in place a plan to restore the fund over time.

The committee voted by six votes to five against the Labour motion.

The decision to cut bedding plants and grass cutting was agreed as part of plans to close a budget gap of £13m over the next three years.

Councillors commended the £220,381 of funding paid out to support community groups by WDCVS.