The debacle over the failed disposal of council buildings in the heart of Forfar has taken another controversial turn.
Days after it emerged that pub giant JD Wetherspoon has pulled out of a £350,000 deal to develop the offices at The Cross into an Angus ‘superpub’, The Courier can reveal a town councillor has been reported to the Standards Commission in a row over the closed-doors discussions surrounding the proposed sale.
Angus Council leader Iain Gaul is believed to have reported Forfar member Colin Brown to the Standards Commission for Scotland, the body which encourages high ethical standards among those in public life and enforces the Code of Conduct for councillors.
Both parties are remaining tight-lipped over the matter, but it is believed to relate to what Mr Gaul considered to be a breach of the code by Mr Brown during an earlier stage of the authority’s private consideration of the proposed JDW deal.
An Angus Council spokesman said: “It is not our practice to comment further until the commissioner concludes any inquiries/investigation. We are required to treat complaints confidentially.”
The planned disposal has been mired in controversy since it emerged the council was set to secretly sell the sprawling listed building for £400,000, sparking a U-turn which led to the town centre property being put on the open market.
No offers were received but the pub chain subsequently came back to the council with an offer of £350,000, which was accepted after a vote in private.
However, a JDW spokesman has now confirmed the plans have been dropped, at the same time quashing local speculation that the for-sale Queens Hotel two doors away is on the firm’s radar.
Mr Gaul described the JDW withdrawal from the deal as “somewhat unfortunate”, but said he could not make any comment when asked if he had raised a complaint with the Standards Commission concerning Mr Brown.
“Items relating to the Standards Commission are confidential until such time as they are concluded,” he said.
Mr Brown said: “In the circumstances I feel it is appropriate to make no comment on the matter.”
The JDW pull-out leaves the council facing a £400,000 maintenance bill for 5-7 The Cross, and has potentially thrown into disarray six-figure plans to relocate elected members to the ACCESS office in the nearby Municipal Buildings.
“We are where we are and we have got to consider what we are going to do with The Cross,” said Mr Gaul.
“That will be put to members shortly and I would imagine it will be sooner rather than later.”