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July 22, 2025‘WARDENS SERVICE MUST WORK FOR THE COMMUNITY, NOT JUST THE COUNCIL’ SAY GILMOUR AND BIBBY
Renfrewshire Labour’s Councillor Chris Gilmour and Neil Bibby MSP have called on SNP-run Renfrewshire Council to ‘get the basics right’ and ensure Renfrewshire’s Wardens Service is used to tackle antisocial behaviour in the evenings.
The Wardens Service currently only runs to 7pm each day and there are concerns that it focuses more on issuing parking fines to make money for the council than on preventative work and community safety.
Renfrewshire Council is currently reviewing the service’s workforce structure.
Originally introduced by a previous Labour administration, the Wardens Service was established as a deterrent for antisocial behaviour and to help build intelligence for local police.
The Labour men are also concerned that the service’s top priority in recent years has become the issuing of parking fines and boosting council funds at the expense of issuing fines for dog fouling, littering and fly-tipping.
After receiving concerns from local constituents about anti-social behaviour, Mr Bibby and Cllr Gilmour have asserted that evening patrols should be ramped up and the service brought back to its original purpose to help local people feel more secure at night.
Commenting on the need for an improved Wardens Service, Cllr Chris Gilmour, Renfrewshire Labour’s Spokesperson for Environmental Services, said:
“People want to see the Wardens Service working for them, not just the Council.
“There has been too much focus under this SNP administration on issuing parking fines and not enough on getting the basics right – deterring antisocial behaviour and tackling issues such as dog fouling and fly-tipping.
“The Wardens Service is an important resource but the balance currently isn’t anywhere near right. We know a lot of this antisocial behaviour happens at night, so we need evening patrols brought back.”
Commenting on the current state of the Wardens Service, Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, said:
“We have a Wardens Service but it needs to work for the community as opposed to just making the SNP Council money. This is not a reflection on the Wardens themselves but what they’re being asked to do by SNP Councillors.
“If there is antisocial behaviour happening in the evenings – which is there locally – then we need the Wardens Service operating in the evenings as they used to do. They can provide valuable support for the police and I know local officers would welcome such a move.
“I know from speaking with local people that there are concerns about the state of our streets with dog fouling, littering and fly-tipping – so clearly we also need a more pro-active approach from the Council to deal with these issues.
“The service therefore also needs to be seen across the area, not just in Paisley town centre issuing parking fines.”
