Claims that Angus councillors should go totally paperless have been described as “daunting, if not downright impossible”.
Arbroath councillors Bob Spink and David Fairweather were responding to a call by Councillor Ewan Smith, who urged the council to do all it can to go paperless and cut its carbon footprint.
He has already gone paperless after being left stunned by documents that arrive at his front door each week.
Mr Spink said he was “aghast” at the prospect of sitting down to a meeting where everyone was armed with laptops or tablets.
Mr Fairweather said Mr Smith’s claim other councillors could go paperless was “astonishing” and the assertion was “arrogance.”
Earlier this week The Courier revealed the council’s £50,000 annual bill for courier services, including £5,840 spent in 2012-13 on delivering council agendas to councillors.
That also led to Taxpayer Scotland’s director Eben Wilson calling for elected members to do more to cut costs.
Mr Spink said: “Our council operates on a committee system where all members get all papers, whether they are on a particular committee or not however, some members serve on only two or three committees while others serve on up to nine, an unsatisfactory arrangement I have challenged before.
“Councillor Smith serves on three committees, Councillor Fairweather serves on nine and I serve on eight, including the harbour sub-committee.
“I am convener of two committees and vice-convener of another, therefore also have pre-agenda meeting papers.
“All papers being delivered by email begs the question of whether all the papers would be read by those who serve on meetings they are not required to attend.
“If not, then time and resource are indeed being wasted.
“We have had individual meeting papers amounting to 600 pages and more and the thought of sitting down to read all that from a screen plus those of other relevant committees is daunting if not downright impossible.
“I am aghast at the prospect of sitting down to a meeting of some 20 members and officials, all of whom are armed with their laptops and tablets.”
However, Mr Spink questioned the need for a courier service several times a week to deliver papers to members, as these “could easily be picked up”.
Mr Fairweather said he was “dumbfounded” by Taxpayer Scotland’s comments, as he and other like-mind councillors recycle at every opportunity.
He added: “A further claim by Councillor Smith is equally astonishing that alongside himself other councillors could go paperless.
“Councillor Smith sits on three committees, I sit on nine. Many committees have hundreds of pages at any given time.
“Apart from finding it mind-boggling and eye-popping to read that amount of material in front of a computer, it would be nerve jangling to say the least to give justice to the reports on behalf of my constituents.
“At a recent children and learning committee meeting I witnessed Councillor Smith struggle to find what he was looking for on his laptop to get a question answered.
“Perhaps if the papers were in front of him he would have found it easier.”