100 + MEMBERS OF PUBLIC ATTEND FIRST COMMUNITY COUNCIL MEETING OF NEW YEAR

Added on 21 January 2012

There was a huge turnout at the community council meeting on Monday 16th January  as around 130 people turned up for the meeting.

Chairman George Smith welcomed the massive turnout to the regular meeting of Stonehouse Community Council last night held in the lifestyles hall. He welcomed Sgt Elaine Tomlinson, PC Alan Weir and his colleague Paula. They gave an update of the crime in the village.

The normal meeting venue wasn't large enough to accommodate everyone and a second part of the hall had to be opened up which was quickly filled up. The large turnout was due to a Facebook call by angry residents who are fed up with the social dumping of drug dealers and drug abusers in the village.

The police took questions on the youths in the village who abuse alcohol and cause problems. The police are aware of the youth disorder and are trying to work with the community to deal with this. They gave an update on the Brodie Place death and assured the public that it safe to go back in to the area.

The questions and the atmosphere then heated up when the subject of drunks, drug takers, drug dealers was raised and various addresses within the village were discussed. There were complaints at the number of occasions that the police had been called by residents and had not turned up to deal with the incidents. There were various young mothers in the audience who feared for their own safety and that of their children.

There were reports of incidents of families being given housing in the village over the residents who were on housing lists for years just because they had declared themselves homeless.

South Lanarkshire Council was the subject of venomous angers from nearly everyone in the hall. they felt that the council officials ignored them when they called to complain of neighbours who were abusing the noise regulations, council tenants who were dealing drugs, social work departments who didn't want to know about children under 14 being left in their houses whilst the parents went selling drugs.

There were people who worked in local shops who are sick fed up of the abuse coming from the residents of Danmore house. They feared for their safety when faced with people from the homeless unit. Shopkeepers regularly report incidents to the police yet still they get more abuse every week.

The older people are afraid to go out in the streets every day due to the level of crime from the residents of Danmore house. The residents of the village are angry at the SLC officials who are not listening to them and they want Danmore house closed down now before any more trouble.

They were told to write to their MSP to have the homeless policy reviewed as that is the starting point for this to be solved.

The villagers are starting a petition to have the Danmore house closed and are prepared to take the fight direct to the Housing Director in SLC.

Councillor Graeme Campbell informed the meeting that when he had raised the subject of Danmore house he had been attacked in the press by the leader of SLC - those present supported the councillor.

The police stayed behind after the meeting and took details of incidents to start investigating them.

Minutes of the meeting can be foud by clicking the following link jan 2012.doc