At the inaugural meeting of the new session of Perth and Kinross Council, Scottish Conservative Councillor John Duff, the Leader of the Opposition, sought the right for opposition Councillors to choose who chairs one of the main committees which will scrutinise the decisions of the new SNP minority administration.
The right of the opposition groups on Perth and Kinross Council to decide among themselves which opposition Councillor chairs both the Audit and Risk Committee and the Scrutiny Committee has been a long established custom on Perth and Kinross Council and one which the SNP enjoyed when they were in opposition during the last five-year term of the Council.
At the first meeting of the Council, SNP Councillor Grant Laing, the new Leader of Perth and Kinross Council, sought to impose his preference of Councillor as Convener of the Scrutiny Committee. The SNP Administration’s motion included Independent Councillor Colin Stewart as their nomination for Convener. Earlier Councillor Stewart, along with the other three Independent Councillors, had voted for the minority SNP group becoming the new administration of Perth and Kinross.
Councillor Duff commented: “For many years, and over several different administrations, it has been seen as good practice for the opposition parties to decide among themselves which of their number should chair these two committees as they specifically scrutinise the performance and decision making of the administration. This freedom has been key in upholding the transparency and integrity of the selection process.
“This, quite frankly, shameful decision by the SNP to deny the opposition the right to choose the Convener of Scrutiny and to vote their own supporter into the post is disgraceful. This denial will have caused damage to the integrity of the committee’s work in the eyes of the public and have undermined the scrutiny process within the Council. Nor does it support Councillor Laing’s call for a more collegiate approach to the way in which Perth and Kinross Council operates under an SNP minority administration.
“I believe that it is a fundamental point of principle that opposition groups appoint to these positions without any perception that the administration takes a hand in that decision. The new SNP administration shredded that principle.”
