Alex Graham’s website

Interesting motion to Highland Council from Aird & Loch Ness Liberal Democrat councillor Hamish Wood calling for a register of attendance for elected Members serving on external public agencies.

Explaining the background to the motion, Hamish said the motion was intended to boost public confidence in how elected Members serve their communities and the wider Highlands.

By requesting a central register of attendance of councillors — nominated by the Highland Council — who serve on external agencies, Hamish hopes that the public will be able to see that elected Members act with integrity and transparency in their dealings with public agencies.

“While many agencies do publish minutes and attendance, I think it would be useful for the public to consult a register of some sort as an example of public accountability — something which can only be welcomed,” said Hamish.

Originally tabled for discussion at full Council on 14th February, this will not happen until a later date as the February meeting is a special meeting.

FOOTNOTE: On the agenda for the meeting of 8th May 2008.

Following the decision not to hold a meeting of the Highland Council on Thursday 7th february, the meeting of Thursday 14th February has been designated a Special Meeting. The main agenda items are:

• Housing Revenue Account (including a proposal to increase Council house rents by an inflation busting 5.3%)
• Budget for 2008–09
• The Council’s reponse to Post Office closures
• A minor re-shuffle of Independent and SNP committee positions

The focus of attention on the budget shifted rapidly from the Independent/SNP Administration’s claims of growth in key services to the loss of teaching jobs, then to the damaging impact on the voluntary sector, after a heated debate opened about a critical report by the Scottish Building Standards Agency on the Council’s building standards service.

It is self-evident that more time for public scrutiny and debate was required and that the Administration — possibly due to inexperience — did not give the budget proces as much time as was required.

As the pressure on the Administration’s proposed budget builds up, the press statement of 7th February which skilfully glossed over the less palatable aspects of their plans has dropped off the Council website front page and now languishes in 13th place in the February releases. In spite of an avalanche of criticism of the budget in the press no further comment has been published on the website.

Mysteriously the January release warning of traffic delays at the installation of the final two lane section on the A830 “Road to the Isles” at Arisaig is still holding on to a front page spot, possibly because it is a totemic item of public works which has a news value well above that of the average road improvement.

Former MP Russell Johnston campaigned for this road for almost the whole of his 33 year term as Inverness-shire MP, and it is remarkable to see it finally being completed.

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The motion to have effective scrutiny implemented at Inverness City Committee came very close to success at the meeting on 4th February, with the Administration holding on by just one vote at one stage. The debate was marked by good co-operation between Liberal Democrat and Labour councillors, and by impressive contributions from Lib Dems David Henderson and Janet Campbell, the always independent Roddy Balfour, and John Ford of Labour.

There was a palpable feeling in the Council Chamber that the Administration was in a weak position by refusing to operate the limited powers already held by the City Committee. Claims that detailed information is already being delivered at ward level do not bear examination — the only report available being an example prepared for Dingwall & Seaforth Ward!

The Provost’s amendment, which scraped through by just one vote, was to bring forward a report to the next meeting on the process of delivering information to wards and to the city committee. Confirmation of the precise terms of the motion has been requested, but the Administration’s response on this day points to a centralised and controlling approach in what is already one of the most centralised councils in Scotland.

The Liberal Democrat Group on Highland Council have withdrawn from the Council’s Budget Working Group, because of dis-satisfaction with the manner in which the Independent/SNP-led Administration is handling the budget process. The key complaint is insufficient time for scrutiny and/or public consultation, with just days available for this to be done before the Administration’s proposals go to the Council.

Black Isle Councillor Dr David Alston, deputy leader of the Lib Dems
on the Council, has issued a press statement:

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A move for proper scrutiny of City services has been launched by councillors Alex Graham and Janet Campbell with support from their Liberal Democrat colleagues.

They have submitted a motion for the next meeting of the Inverness City Committee expressing concern that the Committee has not yet been able to scrutinise services in the City properly, and calling for regular reports to be provided.

Janet, who is a Lib Dem councillor for Inverness Central, thinks Inverness councillors should be monitoring things such as housing improvements and renovation works on the large housing stock on a City basis, and so far these have not been reported directly to the City Committee.

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Councillors have voted 15 - 2 to grant outline planning permission for an Asda Superstore at Slackbuie, after a lenghty debate attended by approximately 100 members of the public. The development consists of a superstore, petrol filling station, 5 small retail units and associated works on land at Slackbuie Farm on the east side of Inverness, opposite the new Gaelic School.

The Committee will discuss detailed conditions to attach to the consent at a future meeting - probably in February 2008. These are likely to be concerned with traffic on the Southern Distributor Road, particularly at the nearby Inshes roundabout where traffic lights will be considered. The Inverness Courier has reported (Friday 18 January) that the cost could be of the order of £1.2m.

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