Conservatives accuse Perth and Kinross councillors of "shirking" duties over committee membership row

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Perth and Kinross Council's Conservative group leader John Duff has accused the SNP and Liberal Democrat groups of "a dereliction of their duty".

It comes after the SNP and Lib Dems voted to reduce the membership of a council committee despite each group having gained an additional member following two recent by-elections.

Conservative leader John Duff called the move "scandalous" and a "shirking of duties" councillors are elected and paid to do.

On Wednesday, December 4, councillors voted to reduced the membership of the Planning and Placemaking Committee from 13 to 11 members. The move was supported by 22 SNP and Liberal Democrat councillors but opposed by 11 Conservative councillors. The four Independent councillors abstained; three councillors were absent including the local authority's only Labour councillor.

Following the meeting, Cllr Duff said: "There is absolutely no reason why the SNP and Lib Dem groups could not have furnished a nomination for this committee. They both have an additional member since September and could easily have shared out this additional workload. This is what we are elected and paid to do. Their failure to meet their responsibilities places further unnecessary pressure on those elected members who do take their duties seriously."

The Highland Perthshire councillor added: "Reducing the committee size as an alternative to accepting their responsibilities just because none of their members wanted to do it is scandalous and reflects extremely poorly on these two parties and their commitment to the residents of Perth and Kinross. I am sure the public will take note of who is shirking their duties. Councillors Laing and Barrett need to reflect on the consequences of their appalling decision and find two members to join the committee."

Councillor Ian James - who sits on the Planning and Placemaking Committee - said the decision was "disrespectful" and "unacceptable", putting more pressure on existing members to take their turn on the Local Review Body. Both committees meet monthly and have lengthy detailed papers on the various planning applications which can, by nature, be quite controversial. Not all council committees meet as regularly or have such lengthy agendas.

The Strathtay ward councillor said: "It is disrespectful for the Lib Dems and SNP not to take up their full allocations on this committee, choosing instead to reduce the committee places down to eleven.

"This now means that the frequency of Local Review Body meetings will increase for those elected members who faithfully attend the planning committee. This is unacceptable. Many of us are already members of numerous committees and some of us are also in full-time employment."

Planning and Placemaking Committee convener Ian Massie is confident "even with a reduced membership of 11 the current group of members will continue to provide the required level of scrutiny and debate to allow the right decisions to be made".

The SNP councillor said: "As council officers explained during the meeting, quasi-judicial committees such as Planning and Placemaking Committee are not always subject to political balance. The discussion and vote on decisions of the committee take place across party lines, as it should, and therefore political representation is of less importance than having an informed and engaged membership.

"While I am disappointed that we were not able to fill the vacancies despite all groups being aware of the opportunity for nominations, and the matter being carried forward from October’s Council, I am confident that even with a reduced membership of 11 the current group of members will continue to provide the required level of scrutiny and debate to allow the right decisions to be made for the benefit of Perth and Kinross.

"In case of future vacancies, I will continue to speak to elected members individually about what it’s like to be part of the committee and to persuade them of my belief that it is one of the most engaging and interesting committees to be involved in."

Council leader Grant Laing added: "All elected members have a range of responsibilities to our constituents and the council, of which attending and taking part in committee meetings is just a part.

"Planning and Placemaking and Local Review Body both ask a lot of members in additional time commitment from both the frequency of meetings and the volume of papers to read and understand. I believe it is far better to have a smaller number of members who are passionate about the subject and able to give it the time it needs, rather than putting pressure on elected members who have not to date expressed any interest in the subject – including those who may have less knowledge of the area or would struggle to attend in-person site visits which the committee undertake from time to time."

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