Highland Council leaders have been urged to release letters from private developers who expressed an interest in providing new care homes before the authority went back on a pledge to build them itself.
The independent, Liberal Democrat and Labour-led council voted to drop its pledge to build the new homes as part of a £30million project, citing cost as the reason.
Now the leader of the SNP opposition, John Finnie, has claimed councillors did not have a full picture of what was happening between developers and the council.
He said he had obtained letters sent from Robertson Property, Threesixty Architecture and Christie and Co to the council before last month’s meeting, all expressing an interest in providing new care homes.
Mr Finnie said: “It is clear that detailed discussions have been taking place between the administration and developers.
“We were not given this information in the chamber for the debate and, although we don’t know if it could have influenced the outcome in any way, it would have been useful and relevant to the discussion.”
He has written to council chief executive Alistair Dodds, seeking the immediate release of all related papers, and asking if senior councillors and officials should have disclosed the full facts.
Last night, Liberal Democrat budget leader David Alston stressed no deals had been made before the decision was made to go back on the plan to replace Ach an Eas care home in Inverness, Invernevis House at Fort William, Grant House at Grantown, Urray House at Muir of Ord and Duthac House at Tain.
“Nothing has been decided regarding care-home provision other than the decision take by full council last month,” he said.
“These letters are just standard correspondence from developers interested in creating private care homes in the Highlands.
“For Mr Finnie to say otherwise shows he is reading too much into this.
“I don’t think it’s any big secret that the independent sector is very interested in opening up care homes in the Highlands, but nothing has been agreed regarding that.”