5 days ago
Renfrewshire Council urged to help Johnstone Credit Union tackle dog fouling outside office
A petition highlighted a "continued accumulation" of the waste on grass and pavements outside the building in Church Street.
Renfrewshire Council has been urged to help Johnstone Credit Union tackle persistent dog fouling outside its premises amid concerns about the problem.
A petition with 191 signatures highlighted a "continued accumulation" of the waste on grass and pavements outside the office in Church Street.
The appeal, which was presented to the petitions board by manager Margaret Bryce, called on the local authority to take action to address the issue.
It suggested increased enforcement, clearer signage, more bins, warden patrols and regular street cleaning.
Ms Bryce told the meeting: "I'm here on behalf of the board of directors, the staff, members of the organisation and I suppose the wider community, where we are frustrated about an issue we have with dog fouling outside our office.
"We have an area of grass outside our office which every day is covered with dog fouling.
"It's an eyesore to the public, to our members, and it causes a lot of aggravation because people walk in off the street and say to us, 'do you know about the mess out on the grass?'
"We try to keep the area of grass by cutting it but it's becoming increasingly difficult because every day there's so much dog fouling on it. We take pride in looking after our building and the area around about it but we have this constant issue with dog fouling.
"All we're asking is that the council ... do something to try and help us to deal with this issue because it's ongoing and steadily getting worse."
A written response from Colin Hunter, the council's environmental health and community safety manager, conceded dog fouling is a "significant issue" across Renfrewshire.
He pointed to previous campaigns, including Take the Lead, which have centred on responsible ownership and working together to reduce fouling and antisocial behaviour, resulting in improvements.
A total of £30,000 has been allocated for a similar purpose during 2025/26 and officers are working on maximising awareness of the negative impacts the problem has on communities.
Mr Hunter said at the meeting: "I think resolution of the issue is through education to promote behavioural change and that can be supported by enforcement and patrols but I don't think enforcement on its own is ever going to resolve the matter."
He explained the council will "have a focus" on the area after the discussion at the board, including looking at matters of signage and bin coverage.
