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Daily Record
24-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Council in secret pothole repair company payout over £31m court challenge
The local authority has refused to reveal how much it has paid to settle a legal challenge. One of Scotland's biggest local authorities has settled a £31million court battle after being forced to make a massive payout to a pothole repair company. North Lanarkshire Council chiefs are refusing to say how much they paid to construction firm Amey after it took legal action over a botched contract. The settlement could run up to tens of millions at a time when the council is facing a budget deficit of £13.4million this year. Councillors have demanded the local authority reveal how much public cash has been lost as a result of the scandal. Gerry Brennan, Progressive Change North Lanarkshire councillor for Motherwell North, said: 'The people of North Lanarkshire need to know how much has been paid as a result of incompetence in managing this contract. 'The council has a budget deficit over the next three years of £62million. We estimate the settlement figure for this case to be around £31million given what the firm wanted in compensation in the original court case. 'As a local authority we simply do not have that kind of money to spend. It should be spent on improving local services, making the roads better and improving our schools. It should not be lining the pockets of corporations merely because a contract was mishandled by this administration and council officials.' Amey lodged a £45million claim against the council in the Court of Session after it awarded a 12-year road maintenance contract to a German firm last summer. Court documents show the amount was later revised to £31million. Amey argued the offer put forward by Hochtief PPP Solutions was 'abnormally low' and should have been excluded from the contest. Lawyers also accused the council of 'failing to act transparently' by not listening to Amey's concerns about how the contract was awarded. The case has now settled out of court. Brennan said: 'We will not stop pushing for transparency and demand the council make the figures public.' A spokeswoman for North Lanarkshire Council said: 'The case has formally concluded and a settlement agreed.'
Daily Record
10-06-2025
- General
- Daily Record
Scots warned of bin collection chaos this week - check if you will be impacted
The local authority has apologised for the changes to the bin schedule and has issued advice for residents Scots are being warned about disruption to their bin collections, with thousands facing changes to when they can expect their rubbish to be lifted. This is after a refuse worker was apparently hurt after getting caught in the lorry's lifting mechanism, as per the BBC. The lifting mechanisms on all Scottish Borders Council bin lorries have now been suspended over safety concerns. No household food waste will be collected as a result of the incident. Instead, locals have been asked to put food waste in their general bin. Domestic food waste collections have been suspended between June 9 and June 13. The local authority told the BBC they are unsure of when normal service will resume. The news affects residents in the Scottish Borders who reportedly face a second week of upset. "We are not sure how long this disruption will continue," a council spokesperson told the broadcaster. "If you do not have enough space in your food waste bin, we ask that you place any food waste into your general waste bin until further notice. We are very sorry for this inconvenience. "If your general waste or recycling bin is not collected as scheduled, please leave it presented as we will make every effort to return for it." They added that if services haven't returned by Sunday, households should take their bins back and then present them outside again on the next scheduled collection day. They highlighted that "remaining restraints" will be removed by staff where possible but in the case this can not occur, they "will not be able to collect the bin". The spokesperson added that they can not guarantee that all restraints removed by staff will be returned and ask for "continued patience and cooperation" until the matter is resolved. The council's website states that collections may change due to public holidays at Christmas and New Year. Otherwise, with the exception of this latest incident, there should be no changes to collections on other public holidays throughout the year. Elsewhere, North Lanarkshire councillors have spoken out against the local authority's impending charges for brown bin collections. From June 1, North Lanarkshire Council has started charging £40 a year for the service. However, council tenants who need a permit will benefit from having their permit costs incorporated into their rental costs, which means their permit charge is spread over the year. Meanwhile, private renters, housing association tenants and home owners will be forced to pay the full permit fee up front. Progressive Change North Lanarkshire's housing spokesperson, Gerry Brennan branded the move "ill-conceived and completely unfair on those council tax payers who do not rent their homes from North Lanarkshire Council." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
