In relation to false claims made in a public press release issued in late November 2011 by Argyll and Bute Council, Michael Russell, Argyll and Bute’s MSP, has now made a formal complaint to the Standards Commission under the Councillors Code of conduct.
Mr Russell has specifically complained about Councillors Ellen Morton, Robin Currie and Duncan MacIntyre in relation to a council motion about the Jura ferry passed on 24th November 2011.
This article we published at the time carries the full details of the press release, Mr Russell’s immediate reaction to it and some centrally important contextual issues.
Mr Russell has confirm that he has now lodged the formal papers of complaint and and is waiting to hear from the Commissioner.
He has also confirmed that he emailed the three councillors named above at the end of November 2011, asking for an apology and a withdrawal, but has had no reply at all from Councillors Currie and MacIntyre and a very unsatisfactory one from Councillor Morton, which did no more than attempt to justify her role in the matter.
This has been a matter which brought new discredit to the already damaged reputation for integrity of Argyll and Bute Council. The pr4ss release in question carried claims made by Councillor Robin Currie who was not actually present at the meeting to which he refers.
While on the one hand this is pure farce of the ‘you couldn’t make it up’ variety, it has harmed public trust in the fidelity to truth of statements coming from Argyll and Bute Council. It has raised questions about the political motivation of such actions by individual senior councillors and by the administration in whose name the press release was signed off and published.
It also raises questions about the competence of council officers involved, in that key facts surrounding allegations on which the headline of the press release majored, clearly went unchecked before publication.
*Gets the popcorn ready*
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Yeah, warm up the popcorn – and sharpen up the guillotine.
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Good luck Mr Russell…..”economical with the truth “..seems to be some councillors tack!!
I’d add revels to my popcorn…MUCH more interesting!!!
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Revels have that scary coffee one that takes you by surprise – maltesers are better.
Quite apart from the legal issue here, do these councillors have no basic courtesy? How can they consider it proper not to reply to an email, even in the most basic terms? Ah, of course, this is Currie we’re talking about – he doesn’t do correspondence.
Good luck Mike, heads deserve to roll on this one and we all know whose.
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