Councillors in row over Derby's bins as Facebook post called 'unprofessional'
Two councillors have clashed over Derby’s bins with one post on a cabinet member’s Facebook page labelled “unprofessional”. Ndukwe Onuoha (Labour) and Matthew Eyre (Conservative) have been in a fiery disagreement over the quality and speed of the city’s waste services.
Councillor Onuoha is Derby City Council’s cabinet member for Streetpride at the Labour-led authority. He also has responsibility for public safety and leisure.
It all started when Councillor Eyre asked a question at a full council meeting earlier this month about how long it takes for people to get replacement bins after a request is made. During the meeting, a post was published on Cllr Onuoha’s Facebook page which attacked the city’s previous Conservative administration and criticised Cllr Eyre.
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The post claimed the Conservatives “frittered away reserves” but the political group has hit back, saying it used reserves “sensibly” when in power.
The post on Cllr Onuoha’s Facebook page said: “It’s a bit rich for Cllr Eyre to pontificate about the delivery timeframe for some services in the council’s waste services department.
“Had their Conservative administration not frittered away over £30 million of the council’s financial reserves, we would have been in a position to do more and in time. They have still not apologised. Instead, they keep hoping that people don’t remember what they’ve done to Derby. They are wrong. Nevertheless, we will continue to build a resilient Derby that works for all residents.”
In his written answer to the question about bin replacements, published on Derby City Council’s website, Cllr Onuoha said the council received 15,749 requests in 2024 to deliver additional, new and replacement containers, as well as requests for repairs and removals. But no timeframe was given for how long it took.
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Councillor Eyre told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said: “It is deeply surprising that Cllr Onuoha believes asking questions on behalf of my residents, who spent weeks not receiving a council service they pay for and for which he is responsible, is somehow a pompous act.
“I view standing up for and representing my residents as the way that all councillors should behave; it seems he does not share my approach. After 18 months with Derby Labour Party running the council, I didn’t get a serious answer to my question or any serious proposals for service improvement. I got waffle and blame-game, which he then unprofessionally spilled onto social media. The public rightly expect better than that.
“We used reserves sensibly in our previous budgets. Cllr Onuoha has never once outlined, in detail, what he would have done instead.”
Councillor Onuoha responded, saying: “It’s a fact that the Conservative administration did not take responsible budgetary decisions to control council finances.
“What I find unprofessional is that, rather than acknowledge their responsibility and recognise that financial recklessness has consequences, they fire cheap shots across the chamber at a responsible administration that puts people first.”
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