After my weekly ward surgeries at the Mitchell Street Centre and West Park Centre late this afternoon, I thereafter took part in tonight's City Council committee meetings.
+ At Environment Committee, I asked questions about the roll-out of Phase 1 of the new recycling arrangements for part of the West End and, in respect of several residents' concerns about the consultation and changes to their collection, sought assurances that consultation would be meaningful and that major changes would be reviewed after 3 months to ensure they are actually working and that residents are comfortable with new arrangements.
+ At Housing Committee, I welcomed progress on the sheltered housing review but expressed concern that it took from June 2014 until this January to appoint the new Activities Co-ordinator - I am to be given a detailed explanation for the delay.
+ At Policy & Resources Committee, I welcomed the more measured proposals in the Gaelic Action Plan than appeared in the draft (although I still think they propose more than is required for a city where only 0.33% of the population can speak Gaelic and only 48 people in Dundee speak Gaelic at home).
I also queried the low actual expenditure in relation to planned expenditure in relation to the Capital Plan for 2014.15 and queried how we can encourage more use of the council's website by the Dundee public - in the recent Dundee consumer survey. only 24% of Dundee people interviewed use the council website.