Angus Council’s chief executive will investigate why a councillor was refused access to “basic data” in a housing query and told he would have to go through the freedom of information process instead.
Forfar member Ross Greig wanted to find out how many empty council houses there are in the district.
But Angus officials blanked several queries and he was eventually told to take the FOI route.
The Conservative councillor highlighted the issue during a debate around a motion to declare a housing emergency in Angus.
Brechin Independent Jill Scott’s motion was rejected after the SNP administration voted against it.
They said the move would not make any “tangible difference” to Angus tenants.
And council chief executive Kathryn Lindsay stepped in to directly address Mr Greig’s concerns around the housing data query.
Repeated requests ignored
Mr Greig told the full council meeting: “I wholeheartedly agree with the motion and will be backing it.
“I know work is being done to tackle the voids (empty houses) situation.
“I have many, many times at full council asked for figures around the voids and been unable to get them.
“I did ask again, more recently, for a figure and was told to put it in a freedom of information request.”
“So I’d thank Councillor Scott for providing me with some of the figures that the council officers either wouldn’t, or didn’t want to give me.
“There are over 300 voids that are costing a lot of money in lost revenue.
“We’ve got 71 here in Forfar.”
Ms Scott said the empty homes could be bringing in at least £20,000 a week to the council.
Chief executive’s pledge
Chief executive Ms Lindsay said: “Thank you for the opportunity to address the matter of allegations that a member has been advised to submit a freedom of information request to access basic data.
She said she wanted to “assure members that is certainly not an approach I would like our staff to take.”
And she added: “I would similarly expect that myself or a senior member of the team would have that escalated by any member in the chamber who receives that kind of response, because we’d like to address it directly with the staff members concerned as and when such examples arise.”
Opposition leader Derek Wann said: ” We’ve heard during this debate that everybody wants to work together, which I wholeheartedly support.
“So it’s disappointing hearing members of the opposition group and others aren’t receiving information from officers when asked.
“I do realise they’re busy, but to not come back at all is very disappointing.
“We are elected members and we should be receiving information when requested.”
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