An Arbroath councillor who stood for election to Holyrood has been handed an official warning from Angus Council after using a local authority phone number on his campaign flyer.
David Fairweather was “formally reminded” that it is inappropriate to use council resources to assist an election campaign and was asked to ensure there was no repeat of the circumstances.
The issue was brought to the attention of The Courier by former SNP councillor Ron Scrimgeour, who is also chairman of Angus Mental Health Association (AMHA) and treasurer of the local branch of Age Concern.
Mr Scrimgeour claimed the council’s chief executive was investigating the issue.
He said, “The confusion over Councillor Fairweather’s political activities has been further increased by him using an Angus Council telephone number for contact on one of leaflets.
“This is either a clear breach of election rules or Angus Council is providing support for councillors fighting national elections. The current investigation by the chief executive will clarify this.”
Mr Fairweather stood in the Angus South constituency at the Holyrood elections on May 5, under the umbrella of Angus Independent Representatives. Arbroath councillor Peter Nield stood for a regional seat under the same banner and the pair put out some shared election literature.
Mr Scrimgeour said the move, coupled with having so many independent councillors in Angus, had created a deal of uncertainty for voters.ConfusionHe added, “The presence of so many so-called independents in the Angus Alliance has been a constant source of confusion for residents all over the county. While not a registered political party, the Angus Alliance has office-bearers, holds group meetings and decides on voting strategy and toes the party line in all council meetings.
“The Angus electorate deserves to have this clarified before the local council elections in May 2012.”
Mr Fairweather said Mr Scrimgeour’s decision to highlight the use of a council phone number on his leaflet amounted to no more than “political mud-slinging.”
He added, “Mr Scrimgeour is an ex-SNP councillor and I think it is very sad that he has nothing better to do than get involved in such a petty argument.”
Mr Nield claimed the official election correspondence posted by mail did not carry a phone number but an earlier leaflet did have a council contact, because a scan of his business card was taken.
He added, “If there was a mistake and a council phone number was used then we must apologise, but these leaflets were made up by David as a local councillor to let people know he was going to stand.”
A spokeswoman for Angus Council said, “The candidate has been formally reminded that it is inappropriate for council resources to be used to assist an election campaign and has been asked to ensure that any future election materials adhere to council rules and the Electoral Commission’s guidance.”