Montrose woman’s fight to clear name over fake short-term let objection

A Montrose woman is fighting to clear her name after an objection to a local holiday let that included misogyny claims was put before Angus councillors 12 days after she warned it was fake.

The letter in the name of Rana Littlejohn was considered by the area’s civic licensing committee as part of a short-term let bid for a property in Baltic Street.

Councillors unanimously approved the application.

But in the meeting the applicant’s solicitor said claims reportedly made by Ms Littlejohn were a “serious” matter.

The letter was the sole representation against the plan.

It included a complaint workmen had been “appalling and rude” to women at the site.

GP receptionist Ms Littlejohn says she told the council almost two weeks before the September 19 meeting she was not its author.

A town councillor has now taken up her fight.

Angus Council say the objection was put to the committee in good faith as a genuine representation.

Surprise letter about Montrose objection

Ms Littlejohn said she was surprised to receive a letter on September 7 from council chief executive Kathryn Lindsay about the short-term let application.

It confirmed her objection had been received. And it set out how Ms Littlejohn could attend the meeting if she wanted to make a representation personally.

But she is adamant it was not her objection.

“I have never been involved in this ‘claim’ nor made any complaints to anyone and have no idea why my name has been used,” said the 29-year-old.

“I had no idea what half of it meant,” she added. “I hadn’t sent a letter.”

She emailed the chief executive that day asking for an explanation.

“I do not know what this is in regards to,” she wrote. “Has this been addressed to the wrong person?

“Can you advise further what this is for and if it’s meant for myself?”

But she heard nothing until the outcome of the meeting was reported in The Courier.

Stress and upset

“This has caused me a lot of upset,” she said. “I just want to clear my name. I’ve been racking my brains who could have done this.”

She added: “When I first got this I had no objection whatsoever to the short-term let. I’d never spoken to anyone there.

“If anything I was delighted to see something happening to the building. They’ve done a cracking job on it.”

She was subsequently given a copy of the objection and told the council it was not her signature on it.

Councillor seeking answers

Montrose Independent councillor Tommy Stewart said: “She has been given an explanation as to why the letter would be taken at face value as a genuine objection.

“But she has provided me with the emails she hadn’t had a response to.

“There are difficulties but they did confirm to me that they had received that email on the 7th.

“She wants to know why she wasn’t contacted after that.

“It is a tough one but we have a woman who has been subjected to a bit of abuse online.”

Application decided on ‘all information provided’, say council

Angus Council did not address Ms Littlejohn’s Sept 7 email in its response on the matter.

The Courier has seen a copy of that communication.

But licensing chiefs have offered Ms Littlejohn a full explanation on the process which was followed.

The council said: “As with all civic licence applications, where we receive what we believe to be a legitimate objection to an application, we are obliged to put the application and objection to the civic licensing committee for determination.

“Here councillors look at all the information provided and make a decision on whether to grant or refuse the application based upon that information.

“Objectors also have the right to attend and address the committee on their objection and invites are sent out to them.

“The papers for such meetings are generally made public, as required by the legislative process that such decisions be made in public.

“The committee did therefore consider the objection but determined to grant the licence application.”