The former leader of Angus Council has accused the county’s new provost of ”running a dictatorship” after a heated meeting of the full council.
Independent Brechin councillor Bob Myles stormed out after his motion to discuss removal of a gravel bank, which could help ease Brechin’s flooding problems, was refused by provost Helen Oswald.
Last month the council’s infrastructure services committee decided to drop £125,000 plans to remove the bank opposite River Street, which could help South Esk’s flow away from town, after Sepa raised doubts about its long-term benefits.
Mr Myles said a subsequent public meeting underlined residents’ concerns that the work would not take place and wanted the council to appeal.
He said: ”The overwhelming public interest was possibly not demonstrated to the councillors at the infrastructure meeting, hence they made the decision they did.”
Mrs Oswald ruled there was no change in circumstances and that the matter could not be discussed. A deputation was also not allowed to give a presentation on the matter.
Council leader Iain Gaul added that Mr Myles’ amendment to appeal the Sepa decision at the last infrastructure meeting fell foul of rules he had introduced while leader of the council, in that the appeal had not been priced.
He said: ”If Mr Myles can not comply with his own standing orders, then the amendment is clearly incompetent and perhaps the mover of the amendment is incompetent as well.”
Mr Myles argued that fellow Brechin councillor and SNP member Mairi Evans, who was not at the meeting, was now in agreement over an appeal.
He continued: ”After the public meeting Councillor Evans agreed that an appeal was the right way forward.
”I have an email from her that reads: I’ve had a think about referral of the item last night and think it will be best if it came from you. I won’t be at council meeting so there’s little point in me referring something I can’t speak to.”
Mrs Oswald countered: ”All I’m hearing is that she thinks you should do it. I have heard nothing in what you have said that couldn’t have happened before August 21.
”Therefore, I do not think there has been a material change of circumstances and I’m sorry, I’m not going to allow this motion to be heard.”
Mr Myles walked out, exclaiming that the decision was ”ridiculous” and Mrs Oswald was running a ”dictatorship”.
Mrs Oswald later said: ”I really wanted to be absolutely fair with him on this matter but, as a councillor of many years’ standing, he should have been aware of the standing orders the committee must operate by.
”There is no way the council will allow the matter not to be continually monitored.
”As far as saying he didn’t see team Angus in operation; if he’d stayed beyond the first item, he would have seen a lot of really good co-operation there. Team Angus was alive and kicking once Councillor Myles had left the chamber.”
After the meeting Mr Myles said: ”There is an over-riding public interest in removing the gravel bank and Sepa had previously said it would agree to its removal if there was such strength of local feeling.”
The concept of a ”Team Angus,” with opposition giving way to non-administration, has been stressed on a number of occasions since the change of administration this year.
Independent Arbroath councillor David Fairweather, who left the meeting shortly after Mr Myles, said: ”Any member in opposition who wants something and the SNP don’t like it, has no chance. ‘Team Angus’ is on a very shoogly peg.”