THE recent letters from Eric Waters and John Marchant are spot on.

Four days before lockdown The Argus (March 20) was reporting City Clean workers will no longer be able to catch up on missed bin collections and the bin telephone hotline will shut down (so any queries you have cannot be answered).

The council was encouraging people to take waste to recycling sites which is hard if you are over 70 or self isolating. The Argus reported business as usual for bin collections in West Sussex. How come they can manage?

The Argus (March 28) reported “The council realises it is behind with its collections, but following Government guidelines many of its staff have been advised to work from home”.

As Eric Waters asks (March 31), how will this play out for binmen?

Then this same council, supporting guidelines to work from home, holds a council meeting where it approves propping up a failing bike-sharing scheme (in the same way it is propping up a failing i360) something John Marchant points out we would not have known about if it was not for The Argus.

Interestingly, while in town on March 20, prior to lockdown, we observed gaggles of parking attendants eager to catch the unsuspecting motorist and indeed The Argus reported (March 25) a care worker receiving a parking fine.

It seems there are no staff to provide necessary services, but plenty to collect money for the council.

Times are hard, but my milk is delivered every day at the same time as it would have been pre-lockdown, as is my paper, both my local supermarket and my local newsagent are providing the same service as before.

Seven hundred and 50 thousand volunteers have come forward to help the NHS and many more of us are supporting vulnerable neighbours and friends.

So why can’t the council do more to serve the people of this city?

It seems it is more concerned with spending our money on fripperies than providing the council tax payers with essential services.

As a unitary authority, Brighton and Hove City Council is responsible for housing, waste collection and environmental health.

By the way, after three weeks my refuse bin was emptied. Thank you.

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