GLASGOW’S SNP administration has been accused of callously suspending its grass cutting service to 13,000 vulnerable people over the last two years.

During last week’s full council meeting, Labour councillor Bill Butler asked how many households the council would have expected to deliver the assisted garden maintenance scheme to, if it hadn’t been suspended in 2019.

Funding for the service was withdrawn in 2019 by the Health and Social Care Partnership before the council provided a package from various sources in order to provide a transition year for the scheme before moving onto its successor employability programme.

Councillor Angus Miller said: “The decision was made cross party and followed the advice of the director of the service. At that point the scheme delivered to approximately 11,000 households.

“The onsite of the pandemic in early 2020 prevented that transition and the introduction of a new employability model.

“While city makers will not routinely cut the grass of individual homes, we are aware that some residents may still require support therefore limited provision in supporting our most vulnerable residents is in the scope of the city makers programme should there be capacity for a grass cutting service to be delivered personally or by organisations locally.

“Unfortunately, no programme can be provided at the current time due to social distancing requirements and the resulting logistical challenges and costs to move people across the city.

“We are engaging in plans to launch the city maker’s programme later this year should lockdown restrictions continue to ease as planned.”

Councillor Butler said he didn’t recognise or accept Mr Miller’s version of events.

He said: “Why despite the wellbeing committee’s unanimous rejection on home garden maintenance in 2018, has no further report been back to committee to outline a method to maintain the scheme in full.

“Why has the SNP leadership, under cover of Covid, to callously cut this vital service to some 13,000 vulnerable households across Glasgow?”

Councillor Miller confirmed that the former Integration Joint Board had previously had the responsibility for commissioning services for vulnerable people and took the view that there was no case to continue this service.

He said: “They took the view that there was no case to continue that service and it was a decision of this council in 2019 to transition the assisted garden maintenance programme for a further year.”