A bid by opposition politicians to allow constituents to grill Highland Council leaders has been “kicked into the long grass” amid safety and security fears.
The opposition Liberal Democrat group leader Alasdair Christie yesterday proposed that members of the public should be allowed to ask a 60-second question at all future full council meetings in Inverness.
It provoked more questions than answers, however, and concluded with a 36-12 vote that the issue should be considered as part of a complex overhaul of the council’s entire functions.
The “redesign” was instigated after the last swingeing budget cuts resulting from reduced government funding.
Council chief executive Steve Barron steered members to reject the question-time idea, concerned that a supplementary question could prove “offensive, defamatory or deal with personal matters”.
He also cited security concerns in the wake of the murder, in June, of Yorkshire Labour MP Jo Cox, who was shot and stabbed prior to a planned constituency surgery.
Mr Barron said: “I believe that you would be increasing the risks by giving a platform in this chamber to people who are potentially angry and who might follow through on the harassment and threats that have already been experienced by some members.”
City SNP councillor Richard Laird said the chamber was “one of the safest forums”, and that there was probably more risk in his local surgery or in the street than in the chamber.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Christie said: “This has been kicked into the long grass by the independent group who are tying it up with a multimillion-pound redesign process when this has no relevance to it.”
SNP opposition group leader Maxine Smith, who had proposed an alternative solution enabling constituents to pose questions online, said: “It’s imperative to engage better and wider with the general public.”
