Angus Council’s chief executive will be urged to write to Angus North and Mearns MSP Mairi Evans asking her to “consider her position” as a Brechin and Edzell councillor.
SNP member Ms Evans was elected as an MSP in May and five months on Arbroath councillor David Fairweather is bringing a motion to the full meeting of the council which questions her continuing to hold both posts.
It states: “This council calls on chief executive Richard Stiff to write to Councillor Mairi Evans (MSP) requesting that she considers her position as a representative for the constituents of this council’s Brechin and Edzell ward.”
Mr Fairweather declined to comment on why he was bringing the motion ahead of Thursday’s meeting.
However Ms Evans hit back, accusing the independent councillor of “political posturing of the worst kind”.
She added: “Sadly Councillor Fairweather has form in deploying such stunts.
“I will continue to work hard for all the constituents I’ve been elected to serve and will leave this sort of petty politicking to others.”
Since Ms Evans was elected as an MSP there have been five meetings of Angus Council of which she has attended one.
She has not confirmed whether she will be present at the meeting today.
The Brechin and Edzell councillor’s resignation as a member of the council’s development standards and policy and resources committees was tendered at a meeting of Angus Council on June 16.
She was absent from three committee meetings in May and June.
Angus councillors receive a basic wage of £16,893 this year, with additional payments if they take up committee posts.
MSPs are paid £60,685.
Eben Wilson from Taxpayer Scotland said: “Scottish tax payers expect best value for every penny spent for public services.
“This includes the service of their elected representatives.
“It seems tactless and wrong for someone to try to keep both councillor and MSP jobs going.
“There are plenty of willing, skillful people in the Angus area who could deal with local issues on behalf of those who pay for their own council.”
Mr Fairweather previously criticised an additional payment received by Mairi Evans and fellow SNP councillor Sheila Hands in June last year.
The council decided that a total of £6,700 would still be paid to the councillors even though their respective positions of convener and vice-convener of the development and enterprise committee were axed.
At the time Mr Fairweather said he would rather the money was spent on weedkiller.
He said: “We have an awful lot of complaints about weeds in our towns and £6,700 would buy an awful lot of weedkiller and I’m sure the public would be delighted to see that money being used on something that would do an awful lot of good for the rest of Angus.”
