‘Apologise or be reported to watchdog'
THE leader of Highland Council’s political opposition – who accused a top official of "stifling democracy" – has been ordered to apologise or she will be reported to a stan
dards watchdog.
Carolyn Wilson questioned advice offered by the council’s assistant chief executive, Michelle Morris, during a heated debate about rent increases last Wednesday.
Critical comments made by the independent group leader about Ms Morris afterwards sparked an angry reaction from the council’s leadership.
Council leader Drew Hendry, the depute David Alston and the authority’s convener Jimmy Gray have threatened to refer Ms Wilson – who has not withdrawn her comments – to the Standards Commission for Scotland.
It monitors elected representatives’ behaviour through the Councillors’ Code of Conduct.
During the debate, two independent members had suggested a one per cent increase for council house tenants instead of the two per cent hike, which was approved.
However, Ms Morris said the proposed motion was not legally competent, much to the opposition’s anger.
Afterwards, Ms Wilson gave an interview in which she claimed Ms Morris’ intervention had stifled democracy because she was not an elected representative. The leadership said she had also "wrongly claimed" that Ms Morris had over-ruled councillors.
Mr Gray spoke to the opposition leader last Thursday and asked her to apologise publicly and retract her comments.
Mr Alston insisted it was not a politically motivated move but an issue about the conduct of a council member, who was expected to adhere to high standards of behaviour, particularly respect towards staff.
He said professional advice had been supplied by Ms Morris during the finance committee debate, backed up the authority’s finance director, Derek Yule, and the decision not to accept the motion as competent was ultimately taken by the meeting’s chairman, Councillor Dave Fallows.
"The officials were doing their job," said Mr Alston, who admitted the "stifling democracy" remark was unfair. "That is the key. The convener made it very clear that an apology was essential."
Ms Wilson declined to say whether she would apologise but did not withdraw her remarks.
"It is a matter of public record what I felt about the outcome of that meeting," she said. "I have nothing to add to it."
During the debate, Ms Morris had told independents Donnie Mackay and Laurie Fraser that their proposed motion was not competent because they could not pinpoint where they would make the necessary savings.
But Ms Wilson, who admitted she probably would not have voted in favour of the proposal, was unhappy they never got the opportunity to vote on the motion.