SNP group outnumbered on council manifesto plan

A special meeting to approve a new manifesto for Highland Council has been branded a waste of time and tax payers' money.

Sixty-three councillors gathered in the chamber at Inverness yesterday to agree the document that sets out the council’s aims and commitments for the remainder of its term.

The SNP group came to the meeting armed with a list of "additions", which included a council pledge to build 357 new homes within the next two years and a promise to reduce deprivation in poverty-stricken communities by next year and totally eradicate it by 2020.

But the opposition group was out-numbered by a majority of councillors who agreed to approve the basic manifesto document, debate any proposed additions in private and seek to approve the finalised document at the next meeting of the council in September.

Liberal Democrat group leader David Alston said his team wanted to make no fewer than 17 amendments to the manifesto and it also had a list of additions to propose.

But he said it made more sense for the council to approve the administration's manifesto document and then "give proper consideration" to the additions and amendments over the next few weeks.

SNP group leader Maxine Smith insisted time was of the essence and said it would be more democratic if the council thrashed-out its differences in public instead of holding contentious debates behind closed doors.

But members voted 45-18 in favour of delaying the finalising of the document until September.

Speaking afterwards, Maxine Smith said the meeting had been "futile" and had probably cost tax payers thousands of pounds, if councillors' expenses, overnight hotel bills and officers’ time were all taken into account.

She said: "The meeting did not debate in a democratic way. Instead, what will come back is just something that’s been agreed behind closed doors."

A council spokeswoman attempted to clarify costs of the meeting saying officers were already "at work" so technically their time should not be added to the cost.

She said: "Postage and printing costs for a full council are in the region of about £150." She said total councillors' expenses costs were probably in the region of £2,000.

The council’s new manifesto contains 62 commitments including a pledge to bring super-fast broadband to the hardest to reach corners of the Highlands.

It also puts an "increased emphasis" on lobbying and partnership working with other sectors, businesses and Europe.

The SNP claimed the manifesto was "unambitious" and believed there was too much focus on lobbying and not enough on service delivery.

But Margaret Davidson said lobbying was crucial "because we can’t do everything on our own".

She said time and money was limited so the programme had to be realistic and achievable.

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