The council in Glasgow is asking residents to help clear leaves off the streets and the way people have reacted to the idea is revealing. Call it the Leaf Test: how much should councils do for residents and how much should residents do for themselves? The answer matters because it reveals how much we – as people, as communities, as society – may have changed, and not for the better.

What the council is saying is this: there is a Gully Clearing Programme in place but autumn leaves can cover gullies and gratings quickly and cause flooding so it would be great if residents could help by clearing the paths and drains outside their homes. But Only If It Is Safe To Do So. The council’s official advice tells us to use a brush, stick, spade or fork and not to use our feet. And may I add for safety’s sake, do not use your head either, or your ear, tongue, or the finger of a friend. Please be safe out there.

You may be sensing some sarcasm at this end about the tone of the council’s advice and you’d be right: it’s a little bit Blue Peter, a little bit Valerie Singleton. But I’m also feeling some frustration that the council needs to say any of this in the first place. I’m not seeking praise (chance would be a fine thing) but I clear the leaves from the road outside my house every year. I do the same with the snow in winter. I also take a carrier bag with me when I’m walking the dog and pick up bits of litter and pick rubbish from the hedge and put it in the recycling. This is what lots of people do, all the time, big deal.

But the reaction of some Glaswegians to the council’s appeal on the leaves shows that not everyone thinks this way.........

© Herald Scotland