Highland Council takes a year to change a lightbulb

It could be the punch line to an old joke, and yet a serious complaint raised has revealed it took Highland Council a year to change a light bulb.

The problem, coupled with a wobbly toilet, forced attendants to shut the disabled toilet at Mitchell’s Lane in Alness for a year.

Carolyn Wilson, ward councillor, said their complaints to the council’s building standards department fell on deaf ears.

But both problems were fixed within two days of a special visit by the council’s chief executive Steve Barron, who came to see some of the ongoing issues in the ward.

"I have to say having the chief executive out for a ward visit was absolutely like having the Queen out, Councillor Wilson told fellow members on the Ross, Cromarty and Skye area committee.

"We got the light fixed in the disabled toilets the following day after his visit - and it had been broken for a year.

And by the end of that week, the disabled toilet that had been out of action for a year, was fixed too. It took three bolts and a bit of input from myself with the plumber on a Friday morning."

She said the plumber who was sent along to make the repairs "was completely appalled" that the last workman who fitted the toilet had not thought it was a good idea to fix it securely to the floor.

Every time someone sat on the seat the toilet moved, disconnecting pipes that were in behind the wall which meant water flooded out all over the floor.

"Somebody only needed to come along from building maintenance, like he did," she said.

"He was completely appalled that it had been going on for so long. But it took the chief executive to come out and within two days all the problems were fixed.

"Before that, the ladies from the toilets had even gone down to the council’s building maintenance with the keys to the toilets in their hands saying ‘please come and help us’. But nothing happened."

The matter was raised at the committee which met in Dingwall County Buildings.

Chairman Hamish Fraser said "there was something far wrong" if it took a year for the council to change a light bulb.

"That system has to be looked at very carefully and that’s what we are agreeing to do today," he said.

Tina Luxton, the council’s housing and property area manager, said she was disappointed to hear the concerns.

"I will take that back to the head of building maintenance," she said.

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