Bush quits council post
CONTROVERSIAL Wick community councillor Laurel Bush has quit his post – branding the group a “corruption of democracy”.
In an e-mail circulated to members of the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council on Monday, Mr Bush said he decided to resign as he did not want any further association with it.
Chairwoman Coreen Campbell responded to the remark through the Caithness Courier.
“Everyone is welcome to their own opinion,” she said. “I have noted and accepted his resignation.”
Mr Bush said he had no comment to make for the press but on his website he delves further into his reasoning behind the decision.
Citing alleged differences between government legislation and how the community council is currently being run, he called the current set-up a “sham” and wrote about being in two minds as to whether to join in the first place.
“Since then I have discovered that, even for council members, there is no real transparency or accountability in the way the Wick council conducts its business and, therefore, I no longer want the association with council decisions which is implied by council membership,” he said.
Mr Bush also called for root-and-branch reform of the system and said he plans to boycott future community council elections and will not take part in elections either as a candidate or a voter. He urged others to do the same.
“I believe now I can be more effective, as an agent for change and real democracy, by working from outside, by challenging the community council and related organisations on a case-by-case basis, publishing results, and, thus, illustrating just... how much needs to change,” he wrote on his website.
Mr Bush has had a turbulent time as a community councillor since joining last year.
His repeated criticism of the organisation’s dealings, which he claims are not open enough, as well as his questioning of the validity of sub-groups made for several tense meetings and clashes with other members.
At the last meeting of the group Mr Bush was forced to apologise after misrepresenting the view of the chairwoman to a member of the public. He was also blamed for causing long-standing community councillor Wendy Campbell to walk out of the March meeting and threaten to quit.
The community council is to carry on without Mr Bush as it heads through the final few months before changes come into effect later in the year.
The next meeting is due to be held in the Assembly Rooms on August 1.