A north-east politician was ejected from authority chambers yesterday after he staged a protest in the middle of the full council meeting, railing against its “dictator” Provost.
In a dramatic turn of events, Provost Bill Howatson forced a motion to suspend Peterhead councillor Alan Buchan, making him leave the chamber and banning him from returning for the rest of the proceedings.
Councillor Buchan, who sat quietly holding a placard which read No Democracy Here while wearing a white handkerchief to cover his mouth, left the chambers and later said he had wanted to highlight the plight of the new Peterhead Campus.
He said: “Peterhead Campus is being kicked into the long grass of the 2023-2028 capital budget wishlist. I have asked to raise this issue on numerous occasions but Provost Howatson has refused to allow me to raise questions.
“Standing orders are supposed to be used to protect the council. They are not to be used by a dictator to curtail free speech and democracy.
“I question that the Provost has lost all credibility when it comes to equality, fairness and freedom of speech and I have called for his resignation.”
Councillor Buchan has previously called on Provost Howatson to stand down, accusing him of failing to carry out his duties fairly and in March branded him “undemocratic”.
Yesterday he once again accused the Provost of “breaking the convention” of standing orders and asked for his resignation via a series of questions he says he submitted for inclusion within the full council agenda – questions he would now like to be included in the next meeting, which takes place in September.
As part of the council budget in February, councillors agreed to provide £71 million for a new community campus in Peterhead as part of the long-term capital plan for the authority.
Officers are now building a business case for the project – scheduled for completion between 2023 and 2028.
On noticing councillor Buchan’s protest during yesterday’s meeting, Provost Howatson said his behaviour was “unacceptable” and asked his colleague to “take the mask off” before then suggesting a move to ensure “you can’t speak again”, which was backed up by Councillor Sandy Wallace.
Councillor Howatson said: “I am very disappointed at the actions of Councillor Buchan. I have never had to use such a sanction before, which shows the gravity of the situation.
“He has put forward questions to the last few council meetings, all of which have been deemed inadmissible or not competent. He has received detailed explanations for why this is the case, yet he continues to submit questions which are not competent and on occasion, defamatory.”
