Council takes gutter duty seriously

By Casey Neill

Greater Dandenong Council has refuted claims that elderly residents are waiting 18 months for gutter cleaning.
Councillor Maria Sampey told the Monday 9 October council meeting that this wait time was unacceptable.
“Probably at the end of the 18 months they’re in nursing home,” she said.
“How do we go about improving our service for the elderly?”
Community services director Martin Fidler said that was the first he’d heard of such a lengthy wait and that he’d look into it.
He later told the Journal that the “current approximate waiting time for gutter cleaning is six weeks”.
Mr Fidler said the council’s Community Care team continuously monitored the waiting lists for gutter cleaning.
He said demand varied depending on the weather, and the council added more resources to its cleaning team when required.