AN SNP Highland councillor has hit out at the authority’s “rainbow” administration for reneging on its promise that the first meeting of its new land, environment and sustainability strategy (Less) group would be held in public.
The administration, which consists of the Liberal Democrat, Labour and Independent groups, had already been criticised by the council’s SNP group, which shared power with the Independents until June this year, for not doing enough to help fishing, farming and other land-use industries in the region.
Last month, the group pointed out that the old natural resources (land and environment) working group had not met since May and the new committee was not due to meet for the first time until mid-October.
At that time, Dr Michael Foxley, who is the authority’s leader, denied that the administration was not paying enough attention to natural resource issues.
He said: “What we have put in place is a full committee of 22 members, which will meet in public on a regular basis, instead of a tiny eight-member working group which met in private on an irregular basis.”
But SNP councillor Drew Hendry, who represents Aird and Loch Ness, said members of the public and the press were excluded from the committee’s first meeting on Wednesday of this week.
Mr Hendry said: “I couldn’t believe it. We’ve been warning for months that the new administration is really out of control over this so-called flagship group, and it appears that they are indeed sinking.
“After the meeting I checked with several officials, who confirmed that the meeting was closed to the public as the changes required to open it had not been met.
“No information was publicly available, and I’m beginning to worry that this kind of malaise is now spreading through what is an incredibly centralised administration under the Lib Dems.”
A spokesman for Highland Council yesterday said the agenda and supporting reports were not published on the web because the group was not a committee or sub-committee of the council and had no decision-making powers. He said: “It is a group to gather information and set policy, with recommendations forwarded to the full council for decision.”
The spokesman added that, at the end of the inaugural meeting, the chairwoman, Isobel McCallum, advised the group that given the level of interest in the business and the wish of members to have business conducted in public, it was her intention to hold future meetings in public.
He said that, in future, agendas and reports would be posted on the web in advance of meetings.
The group is due to meet next on November 19.