A reduced cleaning service at the municipal buildings in Dumbarton and at the new flagship building, 16 Church Street, has been slammed by a councillor.

Jim Bollan said he had been contacted by staff and a member of the public who have complained that the offices and toilets are not clean.

The councillor’s comments are contained in an email he sent to George Hawthorn, the council’s manager of democratic and registration services.

The email, also sent to the Reporter, stated cleaning staff from a local school are being diverted from their normal duties on a Wednesday evening to clean at 16 Church Street, to the detriment of their regular place of work in the school buildings.

In his email, the councillor said he has registered a formal complaint about the situation.

He added: “I have also asked for a questionnaire to be circulated to all staff at 16 Church Street seeking their views on the cleaning frequency at the new flagship building and whether they consider this to be adequate to keep the workplace safe for themselves and the public.”

On Friday, Mr Hawthorn sent an email to councillors stating that as part of the council’s efficiency measures, facilities management has been rolling out a new office cleaning model at many premises over the last year.

Mr Hawthorn’s email continued: “Elected members and staff are therefore asked to help by taking rubbish, recycling and food waste bags to external bins if and when this is required between the weekly Friday cleans."

A spokesperson for West Dunbartonshire Council said: “Changes to cleaning arrangements were put in place in a number of council buildings as part of last year’s council budget. These are now being rolled out in a final few locations. Cleaning of schools is unaffected by these changes.”