A senior Aberdeen councillor has insisted a controversial magazine about the authority’s work will make sure voters are properly informed.
Marie Boulton – an independent member who is part of Aberdeen’s Labour-led ruling coalition – said it would be wrong for May’s election to be based on “whispers”.
But the SNP says the proposed £40,000 taxpayer-funded “legacy” report is party political propaganda which “whitewashes” the record of the Labour-led authority.
Its bid to require a “warts and all” version of the document – due to be sent to every household ahead of polling day – was rejected by a committee this week.
But depute leader Mrs Boulton rejected the claims, and likened the document to the White Paper issued by the SNP government before the independence referendum.
“The people will judge,” she said. “But we have to give them the information to judge us fairly, rather than a whisper here or a whisper there.
“If they disagree with it, they can challenge it and not lend us their vote.”
She added: “It’s good to quantify what your five years have been about. The taxpayer has a right to understand and it can get lost in the headlines.
“Obviously some people suggest we are only talking about the good stuff. Nobody but a fool would highlight the negative.
“I do not see that it’s any different to what the government did with the White Paper.”
She said she would not support the distribution of the material – due to go out with council tax bills – if it was about “trying to promote individuals in the council”.
