'Poisonous' attacks on Highland Council officials are slammed
"Poisonous" attacks on Highland Council bosses by the political opposition has badly damaged staff morale, a SNP politician has claimed.
A political row has erupted after senior Highland councillor Graham Phillips accused the Independent group of adopting a new and aggressive style in complaining about the performance of some services.
But the opposition leader Carolyn Wilson has angrily denied employees were unfairly attacked and claimed it was simply representing constituents by scrutinising the local authority.
It comes after bosses were the subject of stinging public criticism by Councillor Wilson and group colleagues Margaret Davidson and Alasdair Rhind on three separate issues.
Councillor Rhind slated the performance of transport, environment and community service (TECS) managers in Easter Ross and said it was "depressing", as he highlighted several ground maintenance problems.
Councillor Phillips - who is a member of the SNP-Liberal Democrat-Labour coalition and the TECS committee chairman – said it was the latest in a string of morale-sapping attacks on staff.
"What I am particularly annoyed about is the new style of opposition argument, committee-after-committee attacking officers," he said.
"It is quite poisonous, it does no good for staff morale. I think people should behave courteously and it is not very productive.
"I am not trying to gag anybody. It is perfectly reasonable to raise concerns and there is a place for legitimate opposition but there is a way to do it."
He said Councillor Rhind’s comments at the committee meeting last Thursday "crossed the line" and claimed it would have upset staff watching the meeting live online so he intended to call them to reassure them of his confidence.
Councillor Wilson had blasted two TECS managers in a row over a Ross-shire playpark equipment and long-serving Aird and Loch Ness councillor Davidson questioned officials’ handling of the Inverness Common Good Fund.
But an unrepentant Councillor Wilson said the TECS committee chairman should stop complaining about the opposition and concentrate on improving services.
"He wants us gagged and doesn’t want us to raise anything in the committee that is contentious," she said.
"What does that say about democracy? Most of our members have excellent working relationships with the staff of the council and we have praised their performance on many occasions.
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"All of these committee chairs want to have an easy life and want everything to be ‘good news.’ Welcome to the real world, they have control of the council and need to look at themselves."
"As the opposition it is our job to represent the public and scrutinise the job done by the council, and the performance of the administration running it. The most important thing for us is to represent the people of the Highlands."
Meanwhile, Councillor Davidson had complained at the length of time officers were taken to present items at last Monday’s city of Inverness area committee meeting and later raised concerns that the Common Good fund was not being used for its original intentions.
That angered administration city leader Ian Brown who issued a press release two days later defending staff from the "unprecedented attack" and demanding an apology.
Councillor Davidson insisted she never got personal and denied morale was at risk.
"When I criticise, it is the way the service is being run, it applies to the politicians as well if you accept leadership of a service," she said.
"In my 18 years as a councillor I have never criticised an individual officer in public and never would. I look for improvements and try and make my criticism constructive. "
Councillor Rhind said he had singled out TECS bosses not frontline workers and was angry at the "poisonous" accusation.
"For Graham Phillips to say that, it is codswallop he is speaking," he said. "I just feel the administration think that everything is hunky-dory in TECS but that is not the opinion the general public have. I didn’t attack the workforce, I attacked the management.
"I don’t think there is effective management. I am going to continue to dog them, I am not going to see my town ruined by TECS services. Graham Phillips and other councillors will not stop me from speaking out."
Councillor Wilson had criticised the TECS service because of delays in installing play park equipment in Alness during the school summer holidays.
She described the response from the department’s Golspie depot as a "disaster" after contacting the office to be told both managers were on holiday at the same time.
