Veteran councillor Maxine Smith in shock resignation from Highland Council
A veteran councillor has resigned from Highland Council with immediate effect citing “serious hate incidents” and social media trolling as amongst her reasons.
Maxine Smith has represented the Cromarty Firth area of Easter Ross as a Highland Councillor for 18 years and was a community volunteer for many years before that.
The Cromarty Firth ward has witnessed a string of resignations in recent times.
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A businesswoman in her own right, Ms Smith said: “Much of a councillor’s work goes unseen as it involves the assistance we give to individuals, which is private and confidential.”
Addressing her decision, she said: “I know it will come as a surprise that I’ve announced my intention to stand down imminently.
”It has been a tremendous honour to be re-elected four times by the people of the Cromarty Firth ward and for the most part I have enjoyed my job.
”However, there have been some extremely stressful and worrying moments during my time as councillor and in the last few years there have been serious hate incidents where I’ve found myself at the centre of false allegations that were headlined in the press.
“Nevertheless I was going to stay until the end of my term in May 2027 but now due to personal reasons I feel I must stand down.
”I’m not an angel, I’m just a woman and any time we make mistakes as a politician we are hung, drawn and quartered by social media.
“If this were a hundred years ago many of us councillors would be dead ten times over from our own voters!
”This has become a frightening world to live in and I just want to be an ordinary human being.
“I’m sure I’ll continue to be far less than perfect in the future but at least I will not have the weight of being a councillor on my shoulders if I made a mistake.
”Again, I thank my voters for the honour of serving them for such a long time. I know I’ve helped bring tens of millions into the local economy and personally helped hundreds of my constituents but it’s finally time to retire from the Highland Council.
”As well as the haters there are some wonderful, kind and compassionate constituents who I’ll never forget and some with whom I’ll retain a lasting friendship. I’ll miss many of my long-serving councillor colleagues too.”
During her tenure Councillor Smith held many senior roles, including leader of the opposition, vice-convener, convener of the licensing board, chairman of north planning committee, budget leader and chairman of the resources committee, chairman of the tourism committee, leader of the SNP councillor group for six years and co-leader of the Highland Alliance for the past year.
Councillor Smith worked for the Easter Ross area firstly as a community volunteer then for the past 18 years as Highland councillor.
She was elected as an SNP councillor in 2007 and served for three five-year terms.
Then, in 2022, she was re-elected as an independent councillor, having resigned from the Scottish National Party due to local internal divisions.
She added: “We do live in capricious and unpredictable times though where situations can change in an instant.
”I do have plans to continue my summer cruise tour business. I’m also starting a training course in Glasgow at weekends.”
In 2003 she graduated from Moray College with a Counselling Certificate and plans to add to this by studying Hypnotism and Regression Therapy and open a centre in 2026.
In an endnote, she added: “I’m not retiring from the world yet, just the council.”
