A tainted brand of councillors hide their affiliations
Sir
Western Isles Council on 21st April confirmed it considered £50 million required to be saved over the next 5 years reading from the Manifesto of Westminster austerity parties of Labour and Conservative. On 28th April it issued a press release stating £15 million may be the order of magnitude; avoiding any reference whatever to its earlier prediction.
The Labour Party seized on the £15m cut as if it were an increase and claiming the £50 million figure was scaremongering by the SNP, despite the BBC holding evidence of the authenticity of the original information.
Manford is to investigate if certain councillors can continue to hide their political affiliations
Notwithstanding that both scenarios are dire, an explanation is necessary as to why the Comhairle felt it should contradict its earlier position. Was it brought to bear? Was the press release of 28th April the result of party political pressure and who exactly applied that pressure?
Considerable evidence already exists of questionable conduct by some councillors in seeking to apply pressure on the Returning Officer regardless of the fact councillors have no remit over the work of a Returning Officer and importantly no complaint is known to have been lodged despite the rhetoric of feigned shock.
A longstanding area of interest exists over interpretation of appropriate conduct within the Councillors’ Code of Conduct relating to Register of Interests. It is increasingly suspected that party politically active councillors, concerned about a tainted brand, are hiding their affiliations under the guise of Independents.
The principles which specify Integrity, Openness and Honesty in relation to Declaration of Interests are intended to introduce transparency in regard to interests which might influence or be thought to influence actions as a councillor. I will be writing further to Accounts Commission for Scotland and the Commission for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland for clear guidance on whether they consider it is the withholding of party political activities from the public record which is appropriate or that it is acceptable for it to be considered separate from their role as a councillor applying (“objective test”).
Yours etc
Donald Manford
Donald Manford has got it right on this one…
Should the salutation rather than reading “Sir” not read “Mr MacCormack?” Is it any wonder the chaos our council is in when the members relentlessly seek to score political points rather than serve the whole electorate.? Personally I look at signatures on letters – if they are Harper, Wilson, Macdonald (Uig) Morrison (Inverness) MacCormack, Murray (lax dale) Murray (Shetland) I don’t bother reading their guff
Manford blaming Westminster again, when the problem really lies with the SNP Government at Holyrood with their £444M underspend. I am sorry Donald but the people are getting tired of the Westminster blame factor as you will find out on Thursday when ABM will be rejected by the electorate.
A typical, long winded puff of nonsense from Manford, the Witch Hunter in chief, as he tries to traduce his colleagues on the council by “investigating” whether some of them may have “political affiliations”!
He must be very stupid indeed to have sat on the council for over 15 years and still not be able to figure out how his colleagues may vote at an election.
The difference between the independents and Manford’s SNP group is that the independents act in the best interests of the Western Isles, unlike the SNP group, who slavishly follow diktat from central control in Edinburgh.
He is right however, to bring attention again to the political affiliation and recent conduct of the Returning Officer, a matter which must be independently investigated if the political process in the Western Isles is not forever seen as “a tainted brand.”
I am intrigued by the timing of Cllr Manford’s statement, and I wonder why he remained silent for all these years, especially since he is the chair of the council Audit and Scrutiny committee according to the council website.
His call for an enquiry into the allegations against the Returning Officer, who is also the council CEO, will hopefully be supported by his colleagues on the Audit and Scrutiy committee.
It seems to me, with no political axe to grind, that such an enquiry is required to clear the air.
My apologies, it seems I promoted Cllr. Manford beyond his capability’s- he is only the vice-chair of Audit and Scrutiny, but still experienced enough to know better.
Perhaps Manford should look at how he and his group can operate in the best interests of the Western Isles when they are signed up never to criticise the SNP Government.
I think that needs to be in the Register of Interests.
Would Mr Manford like to explain why the SNP group tried to block a dozen new jobs being created on Barra? Petty party politics springs to mind.
Seems a well known Labour activist wants to start a new fish farm on Barra. This was nearly blocked by the wonderful, caring for our islands group called SNP cllrs.
If only the people from the South knew politics came ahead of jobs and the benefit to the islands.
This makes me have a wee hollow laugh because Cllr. Manford knows that, come the next election, he will bamboozle and beguile the good people of Barra ( excluding myself and a few others,) into voting for him knowing that no one else on Barra will dare stand against him.
PS- that photo of him must have been supplied by Hammer House of Horror films, he looks even more scary now that he has shaved.