Council criticised over skip full of office fixtures

MORAY Council is being accused of wasting resources after quality furniture from its Forres offices was tossed in a skip this week.

Moray Conservative MP Douglas Ross said he had been contacted by an "angry" Forres businessman on Monday, December 23, who informed him that quality furniture was being removed from the council offices at Auchernack House, in Forres, which was then thrown into a skip to be taken to a recycling centre and destroyed.

Mr Ross said: "Understandably the local businessman who came into my office on Forres High Street was pretty angry at the whole situation. He had seen a skip full of perfectly usable and quality furniture be removed from Auchernack House be taken away to be destroyed.

"A number of local residents who saw this commented on the complete waste of money to throw away furniture which was clearly in a good condition. There must be many groups or organisations locally who could have utilised these tables and chairs."

Mr Ross has written to the council asking why it opted to dump the furniture rather than re-use it or offer it to others.

He added: "Council taxpayers will also question why this furniture was not deemed suitable or appropriate for equipping the new council offices in Forres House.

"At a time when we are seeing frontline services reduced or withdrawn, it beggars belief that Moray Council are in the position to dump good quality furniture like this."