An Aberdeenshire community group has been dissolved amid hopes it can start “fresh” in the next few months.
Aberdeenshire Council yesterday agreed to shut down the Mid Deeside Community Council (MDCC) – which represents Aboyne, Dinnet, Glen Tanar, Kincardine O’ Neil and outlying areas.
The group was suspended for four months in January this year after members sent e-mails which the local authority considered disrespectful to Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside councillor, Geva Blackett.
The council later gave the MDCC several months to get more people on board.
The minimum number of people required on an Aberdeenshire community council is 10, but the group’s membership sat at eight.
When it failed to recruit more members, the Marr area committee voted to dissolve the group in September, with the decision deferred to yesterday’s meeting of the full council.
And members agreed it would be better to start the group again from scratch, to allow new parties to come forward to represent the “breadth” of interests in the area.
But members of the MDCC who attended the meeting at Woodhill House branded the debate a “farce”.
Chairman Keith Bennett told the committee that they had boosted their numbers in recent days, and that other community councils in the area were concerned about the future of the MDCC.
Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside councillor Peter Argyle said: “I am firmly of the view the best solution is to dissolve the community council and work within next six months to get this community back again.”
Mrs Blackett added: “The community now has the opportunity to make a fresh start and elect a community council to represent the breadth of interests in the Mid Deeside area.”
However Fraserburgh and District councillor, Ian Tait, moved an amendment to allow the MDCC to continue, adding there is “too much red tape being applied” to local community councils.
The chamber agreed 42 to two to dissolve MDCC.
