As Aberdeen councillors muster to debate how best to cut £30 million from next year’s budget, the return of convicted sex attacker Alan Donnelly could make all the difference.
Former Conservative depute provost Alan Donnelly will be involved in his first council meeting since last March, when he was temporarily banned ahead of an ethics hearing.
The Torry and Ferryhill member had been convicted the previous December of sexual assault, while at a city function.
Donnelly was later sentenced to an eight-month supervision order, placed on the sex offenders register and ordered to pay his victim £800 in compensation.
Despite calls for his immediate resignation following verdict, Donnelly only quit the Tory party and remained an independent councillor.
Opponents and former colleagues alike voted to strip him of his committee positions and urged him to resign to prompt a by-election.
But he continued on – despite widespread dissent at the Town House – until the Standards Commission barred him on March 4.
Months later, he appeared in front of an ethics panel, who stopped short of removing him from office as he had not been sent to prison by the Sheriff for the attack.
His punishment was a fully-paid one year ban, backdated to his initial suspension.
Will the return of Donnelly affect the budget vote?
Last month, Donnelly told the BBC he intended to defend his record at the polls, and to stand again in next year’s local election.
His return will make all the difference to the numbers, after his former Conservative colleagues shut the door on any sort of return to their benches.
A spokesman for Donnelly’s former political party, the Conservatives, told The P&J last month: “He’s no longer a member of the Conservative party and he will not be a Conservative at the next election.
“Conservative councillors in Aberdeen voted as part of the administration calling on councillor Donnelly to resign.”
But that stance leaves a minority Tory, Aberdeen Labour and Independent Alliance administration in jeopardy of losing votes, should Donnelly not, as some might expect, back them.
He is expected to sit as a single, unaligned councillor.
Since full council meetings resumed after first lockdown, the ruling coalition has relied on the casting vote of Lord Provost Barney Crockett to pass anything of contention, after standard voting has ended tied up at 22 for the administration and 22 combined SNP and Liberal Democrat votes.
Donnelly’s impact remains to be seen – with sources from all sides unable to make predictions as to how he – as a member known for passionate tirades in the chamber – will behave this afternoon.