A MORAY councillor who was ousted from the local authority’s troubled administration after voting against controversial school closures has criticised the “underhand” way the blow was dealt.
Douglas Ross was kicked out of the Independent-Conservative alliance on Friday following a turbulent week in which Conservative group leader Allan Wright also stepped down after elected members voted by 16-8 to save rural schools.
Last night, Mr Ross pledged he would continue in his role as chairman of the planning committee until he is forced out at the next full council meeting on December 17.
That means he will remain at the helm – and have the casting vote – when the committee meets to rule on plans for Elgin’s controversial link road tomorrow.
The proposed £8.5million Western Link Road, from Elgin’s west end to New Elgin and back to the main A96, has been widely criticised by local residents.
Caroline Webster, one of the founders of the Designing Streets Action Group, which was set up to campaign against the road, said it was good news that Mr Ross was sitting tight for tomorrow’s hearing.
She added: “To change the chairman literally two days before a hearing on one of the most controversial applications there has been in the recent history of the council would just have been ridiculous.
“He knows the background to the whole application and he has been very unbiased throughout.”
Returning to work yesterday, Mr Ross condemned the administration for breaking the news while he was in Spain acting as linesman in Thursday night’s Europa League clash between Sevilla and Belgium’s Standard Liege.
He said: “The press release announcing I was to be fired came out while I was flying from Seville to Madrid.
“By the time I arrived I had already had calls from constituents and the media.
“It made it very difficult for me to respond. I had two further flights that day and I was taking calls and e-mails in between.
“I thought it was an underhand way of doing business.”
The Fochabers Lhanbryde councillor also denies claims he plotted against his own group leader.
“The dismissal e-mail said I was canvassing against my own group leader which would be a serious offence,” he said.
“So far, there has been no proof I have done that and I’m confident there will not be.
“I have never gone behind their backs and canvassed against either the administration or my group leader.”
However the outgoing planning chairman said he had been touched by the support shown by constituents and confident he had made the right decision.
He added: “Every cloud has a silver lining and I have been taken aback by comments of support both on social media and from people who have called me. It has been quite humbling.
“If I have lost my job over my decision to vote against school closure plans, it was the right way to vote.”
Mr Ross was one of three Conservative councillors who backed the successful motion calling for a five-year moratorium preventing school closures.
Four other administration councillors also voted for the move, including convener Stewart Cree and leader of the SNP group, Pearl Paul.
Last night she said the latest row raised further questions about the effectiveness of the administration.
She said: “Councillor Ross was not the only administration councillor to vote in favour of the motion to keep the schools open, it was even supported by the convener.
“The administration has dealt with the whole thing badly, not just Councillor Ross. You actually need to listen to the public and the public made an extremely good case for the schools staying open, that’s a big part of being a councillor.”