'Disappointing, misleading and offensive' - Councillors bite back at allegations of repeated absences
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Three Highland councillors have issued statements following last week's article on alleged absences from Wick Community Council meetings.
Dubbed the "silent three" at an online meeting on January 10 by Joanna Coghill, chair of the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council (RBWCC), the three councillors for the Wick and East Caithness ward have condemned the comments as "disappointing, misleading and offensive".
The Highland councillors, Willie Mackay, Andrew Sinclair and Jill Tilt, did not appear at the meeting and were criticised for "no shows and no reports" by RBWCC members with vice chair Allan Farquhar stating that a letter would be drafted for their attention to explain where they think "things are failing".
Councillor Willie Mackay said: "First of all, I’m usually delighted to see myself on the front page of the Caithness Courier or the John O'Groat Journal and have been over the many years. These are two local newspapers that I have enjoyed, supported and contributed to with voluntary news, features and reports and will continue to do so.
"However, last Friday's Groat headlines were very disappointing for me and I’m sure for my fellow elected Highland councillors Jill Tilt and Andrew Sinclair .
"Your report came from attending a virtual meeting with the RBWCC whose membership ought to have known better than to criticise the three of us as missing when they were well aware that I was, since last May, attending community meetings in Lybster and Dunbeath; Andrew was attending community council meetings in Tannach and Watten; and Jill, since being elected, attends community council meetings in Canisbay and Keiss.
"It has been well documented the four councillors in Wick and East Caithness since being elected in May 2017 will, at their own decision, rotate each year [to cover] all seven of the community councils in Ward 3."
He went on to praise his colleague, councillor Raymond Bremner, who has given the RBWCC "very detailed and comprehensive reports of which I sincerely hope they are grateful for".
"Furthermore, all 12 community councils in Caithness are well aware that no elected Highland councillor is obliged to attend any community council meetings in the county – there is nothing in the Highland Councillor's Code of Conduct to say otherwise – but we all voluntarily like to go along and meet with them on a yearly rotation during the five years of office.
"But as to why the RBWCC tends to think all four of the elected members in the Wick and East Caithness Ward should attend their meetings every month during that five years is beyond me."
Highland councillor Andrew Sinclair stated that they had not “repeatedly missed” RBWCC meetings and that the three names singled out are "simply not allocated to Wick Community Council this year".
"I was allocated there in the past, as was Willie Mackay. Jill Tilt is new in the job and has taken over the community councils previously attended by Nicola Sinclair," he added.
"This whole situation has been explained to Wick Community Council several times in the past.
"No other community council expects all Highland councillors to attend or behaves in this way. There are no exceptions and nobody gets any special treatment. Wick Community Council may not be happy, but frankly we need to treat all our many community councils fairly and equally.
"When we do attend community councils it's in our own free time as a personal choice. We attend when we are available because we know they can often be very useful forums for issues to be raised. We're all trying to improve things at the end of the day."
Councillor Sinclair stressed that "directing totally misleading and offensive comments at Highland councillors in front-page newspaper articles does themselves no favours, will not improve anything for anybody and is not remotely constructive".
Councillor Jill Tilt made her comments public by posting a statement on social media at the weekend saying: "The councillors are actually busy, juggling all their council work, community council work, individual constituents' problems, their own jobs and their families.
"For example, yesterday I was up at 05.30 and didn't finish sorting out my council work til gone 8 last night. I often get emails from councillors sent after midnight, so they are working longer hours! I would love to have the energy I had 40 years ago to be able to juggle everything better.
"In respect of the RBWCC, [it] was the first meeting I attended after my election, so they have met me. I have since been allocated Sinclair Bay Community Council and Dunnet and Canisbay Community Council, to which I have attended all meetings."
Mrs Tilt finished her statement by writing: "I think Mr Allan Farquhar should consider standing for the Highland Council in the forthcoming elections, he could then go to all the meetings (if he could find the time). He should get the facts right before running to the media."
Related article:
Where are our councillors? Questions asked at Wick meeting over the 'silent three'
