Highland councillors urged to show 'courage' to block counter closures
A political leader has issued an impassioned plea to disaffected Highland councillors and urged them to break political ranks in a last-gasp bid to save 23 public counters.
Carolyn Wilson, leader of the opposition group of Independents, has laid down the gauntlet to rank-and-file SNP, Liberal Democrat and Labour councillors and asked them to show "courage" to overturn the decision to shut almost-two thirds of the service point network.
The three parties form the administration ruling Highland Council but several of its members have spoken out, publicly and privately, against the hugely controversial decision to axe the bases in a bid to save £160,000 amid falling public demand.
Despite the internal disquiet, the coalition staved off a political revolt and the finance, housing and resources committee voted by 13 votes to 9 last month to press ahead with the closure programme.
The political battle-lines are being drawn ahead of next Thursday’s full council meeting in Inverness in what is shaping up to the biggest test for the administration so far.
The Independent group has tabled a notice of amendment demanding the decision is revoked and Councillor Wilson insisted a U-turn would not be seen as a weakness if party councillors backed it.
"There are people who are sitting in the administration that are saying privately that they agree with us and are against the closures," she said.
"But their politics appears to be more important to them that what is right. I would hope that they would have a listen to what we are going to say on the day and stand up for themselves. They should have the courage to do what is right."
Councillor Wilson claimed administration councillors were "blindly following" the leadership but owed it to their communities to vote against the closures because the issue was of huge importance and transcended party lines.
The Independent group has also questioned the accuracy of the customer figures collected on each service point and claimed there were anomalies.
But depute council leader David Alston said he was confident the administration would stave off the opposition’s move to thwart the closures and accused the Independents of "opportunism".
The Lib Dem group leader said the customer services review, which has led to the closures decision, had started when Councillor Wilson chaired the resources committee in the previous administration.
"It is always difficult to make decision about service closures and people find that difficult and find that difficult at a local level," he said. "I think that Carolyn Wilson, particularly as a former chair of the finance, housing and resources committee, knows that this the right direction of travel. It is very clear that changes have to be made.
"I always find it a bit amusing that the most political group [in the council] is the Independents. I think this is opportunism, to have committed yourself while in power then in opposition to oppose it."
