Councillors from every party demanded that Aberdeen’s shamed former depute provost immediately resign at an emergency meeting yesterday.
All members unanimously agreed to enshrine their call for Alan Donnelly to quit as a councillor for Torry and Ferryhill as official council policy, and agreed that the chief executive should also write to the ethical standards commission.
The 65-year-year has resigned from the Conservatives following his conviction for sexual assault and has been stripped of his committee places and positions on outside bodies.
The local authority itself has no power to remove Donnelly should he choose not to resign – with only standards watchdogs able to take that action.
Council co-leader, Douglas Lumsden, said: “The council has agreed that councillor Donnelly should resign from the council.”
SNP interim group leader, Jackie Dunbar, said: “I have never had to deal with anything like this in my 12 years on the council.
“Unfortunately the council itself does not have the power to remove councillor Donnelly.
“I think the agreement sends a strong message that there is no space for councillor Donnelly. Being councillor is an honour and a privilege and he has decimated that.”
Liberal Democrat group leader Ian Yuill said: “I think the most important thing is that there was no disagreement on how to proceed.
“Councillor Donnelly needs to resign and that is now council policy – he should have gone following his conviction and, if he had any decency, he would certainly go now.
“A registered sex offender has absolutely no place as an elected councillor.”
A major shake-up of council roles could be on the cards next year, with groups having to put forward suggestions for senior places including Lord Provost, council leader and committee convenors.
The ruling Conservative, Aberdeen Labour and independent administration is now neck and neck on numbers with the opposition as Donnelly is not counted as a coalition member now.
With former SNP group leader Stephen Flynn, a former Kincorth, Nigg and Cove councillor, now elected as Aberdeen South MP there could be a double by-election in the ward- potentially leading to the administration losing power.
But the other opposition group, the Liberal Democrats, have ruled out forming any power-sharing pacts.
