Three Inverness councillors were at the centre of an investigation last night amid allegations that they insulted travelling families and put pressure on local authority staff over illegal camps.
The investigation is being carried out by the Standards Commission for Scotland, which was contacted after council workers complained about the trio.
The Press and Journal understands that the commission is trying to establish whether staff or senior officers were subjected to undue pressure from the councillors.
The elected members were reacting to concerns raised by their constituents when they tried to have gypsy travellers evicted from two locations recently.
It is believed that at least one of the councillors is also the subject of a complaint about the alleged use of “non-politically correct language” in e-mails on the issue sent through the council’s computer system and seen by senior staff.
The three councillors receiving letters from the commission are Culloden and Ardersier SNP member and former city provost Bob Wynd, his Liberal Democrat ward colleague, Glynis Sinclair, and Inverness South Labour councillor John Holden.
Mr Holden was concerned about an unofficial travellers’ camp in the Slackbuie area, on the south-west side of Inverness.
He said: “I stand by my actions. All I ever asked for was council policy on gypsy travellers to be implemented.
“It clearly states that, in exceptional circumstances, they can remain at an unlawful site for 21 days, no longer. I was persistent in representing the views of the people who elected me and I do not apologise for doing that. Members of the public were frightened. But I met a lot of resistance from officers.”
Mr Wynd was highly critical of what he considered “council apathy” in dealing with a similar situation beside the Smithton roundabout on the A96 Inverness-Aberdeen road
He said the commission had merely informed him that “matters had been raised on behalf of council officials about gypsy travellers”.
He said he knew no more about the inquiry.
Ms Sinclair could not be contacted yesterday.
The GMB trade union, which is representing employees who raised the complaints, declined to comment.
A spokeswoman for the Standards Commission’s office of investigations said: “I can confirm that the complaint relates to gypsy traveller encampments. It’s not our practice to comment further until the chief investigating officer concludes any inquiries or investigations.”
A spokesman for the council said: “In terms of Section 12 of the Ethical Standards in Public Life etc (Scotland) Act 2000, we are not able to comment on matters which may have been referred to the Standards Commission for Scotland.”
Much of the argument between city councillors and officials focused on whether those in the encampments had broken the law. However, there were no prosecutions and no travellers were evicted. They ultimately moved on of their own accord.
A spokeswoman for Northern Constabulary said: “Gypsy travellers have rights and as long as they are within the confines of the law police will only react to complaints that are brought forward.”