BIN collections just once a month, increased parking costs and scrapping all funding from the beloved Winterfest event are being considered to save Glasgow City Council cash, the Glasgow Times can exclusively reveal.

Leaked official documents, which have been seen by the Glasgow Times, detail draft budget options put forward by council officers regarding the Neighbourhood, Regeneration and Sustainability (NRS) departments – which handles the likes of parks and bins pick-ups.

Among the shock proposals are switching kerbside residual bin collection from three weekly to four weekly, selling the Clydesdale horses based at Pollok Park and increasing parking charges for the facility, while also raising street parking charges both in and out of the city centre.

Chris Mitchell, GMB convenor, said while the bins proposal would bring savings, it will only increase problems faced by cleansing staff.

He said: "The idea behind it is that there will be more recycling so the bins don't need collected as often, but there's not enough education around recycling for that. 

"If this goes through, taking bins away and reducing collections, there will be no way back. It's a recipe for disaster."

READ MORE: Glasgow care worker struck off after sending Islamophobic texts

School crossing patrols could also be axed at spots near traffic signals as part of the proposals and a tariff on the council’s public electric vehicle charging network could also be introduced.

All funding could also be removed from Drumchapel's popular bonfire night event Winterfest.

Meanwhile, the documents claim money could be saved with the sale of some of the local authority's property assets, however, it doesn't detail which buildings would be considered.

Councillors will meet next week to make their decision in setting the budget for 2023/24 in, what leader Susan Aitken has described, as the “most challenging circumstances for public finances in decades”.

However, the SNP leader insisted the solution is not as simple as requesting more cash from the Scottish Government, adding that those who imply as such are trying to take the public "for mugs". 

Glasgow City Council, like local authorities across the country, is expected to make drastic savings ahead of the next financial year with a staggering £68 million in cuts to be made.

The documents, which only reveal draft budget options for the NRS and not other areas of the council, such as education, offer elected members a variety of choices which would save millions.

Among the draft options are proposals which would bring costs in the city line with other local authorities, such as increasing street parking costs to match Edinburgh prices, which range from 90p to £5.60 per hour.

Tollcross Children’s Farm and Dawsholm Transfer station could be closed, which would mean West End residents looking to recycle would have to travel across the River Clyde to the Shieldhall facility, and the private landlord registration fee could be increased by 4%.

READ MORE: Glasgow teacher 'elbowed pupil in ribs' at Greenview School

The proposed options are as follows: close the Queens Glasshouse and rehome the animals; remove kerbside glass collections; remove blue bins from public sites; introduce kerbside collections for flats due to health and safety concerns; reduce CCTV monitoring from 24/7 365 days a year to 12 hours a day from 4pm to 4am; introduce permits for brown bins, introduce charges to enter Botanic Gardens’ Glasshouse; charge for housing associations using council disposal and recycling facilities; charges for temporary street cafes and update allotment cost structure.

It continues: dressing the city, such as with promotional banners and event promotions; review of bereavement service costs to bring in line with other councils; increasing planning discretionary fees; increase levy charges for events in parks; and upskilling staff to deliver the Affordable Warmth Programme instead of employing new staff.

Job losses are also on the table.

The options include cutting 141 jobs in the 2023/24 financial year, rising to 185 positions over the course of three years.

To meet the target, it’s proposed councillors could agree to reduce the community enforcement team and housing services staff as well as NRS management, although the documents don’t reveal how many posts.

It also offers the option of cutting park rangers from seven full-time staff to just four, reducing the park development and landscape design team, and cutting 10 posts from building standards.

Reducing the neighbourhood liaison team by 14 jobs is also listed as a potential option and reducing the grass-cutting staff by eight posts, thus reducing how often the programme is delivered.

A spokesperson for the council said: “As part of the annual budget-setting process, a cross-party group of councillors works with officers to scrutinise and develop options on where savings and investment could be considered.

“Officers also regularly update a financial forecast, taking into account inflation and the latest information on national settlements.

“The financial challenge facing the council this year is exceptionally tough – with savings of around £68m required, even before pressure on social work and care services are taken into account.

“Political groups will present their budget proposals next week and it is for them to decide whether they wish to include any of these options.”

All Glasgow City Council elected members were approached for comment.