The views of local councillors in Perth and Kinross have become “peripheral” as the local authority’s most powerful committees steamroller through often unpopular decisions, it has been claimed.
In a hard-hitting rebuke to the administration, independent Kinross-shire councillor Michael Barnacle also claimed there is a huge “democratic deficit” in the region, with powerful conveners often over-ruling local members.
He hit out after local councillors were denied the opportunity to address full council as plans to sell off Kinross Town Hall were discussed.
“The council should decide whether or not they are going to allow deputations to committees in relation to contract decisions or not,” Mr Barnacle told The Courier.
“Moving the decision on this issue (the eventually-approved sale of Kinross Town Hall) from the common good fund committee to full council was highly unusual and taken by the council leaders and officers without my involvement. This effectively removed the decision from local members in entirety.
“When one considers that three of the Kinross-shire local members were able to make a statement to the council in advance of the debate but not take part…it is a very disappointing outcome.”
Mr Barnacle also suggested this was symptomatic of wider problems.
“It is not surprising since my recent experiences of the council, particularly in relation to planning, is that the views of local members have become peripheral if they do not accord with corporate objectives, even if community based,” he said.
“In Perth and Kinross there is a huge democratic deficit, where decisions are made for areas by people who were not elected there. Area devolved committees would address this but will never be considered by this controlling administration.”
Mr Barnacle also criticised the council’s recently released Main Issues Report (MIR), claiming it fails to mention the “deterioration” of Kinross town centre.
“Surely a key issue for this report should be an overall strategy for the town centre and its increasingly redundant buildings,” the councillor said. “The provision of the link road and a supermarket are only part of the story.”
Mr Barnacle claims to have been routinely ignored, despite “fighting hard” on a number of key local topics.
“The final disposal of Kinross Town Hall after all community attempts to preserve it for use of residents had failed is just one more example of a piecemeal approach from a council that has no overall strategy for the town and produces a report for consultation that omits several key issues it had been asked to include,” he added.