The man who fronted the failed Scottish independence campaign in north east Fife before the referendum has been accused of trying to hijack non-political community councils for political gain.
North East Fife Yes Scotland co-ordinator Andy Collins, who also sits on Cupar Community Council as a co-opted member from charity Sustainable Cupar, has come under fire from Cupar Community Council secretary Douglas Provan for showing “complete contempt” of serving community council members.
In an email sent to Yes Scotland activists in north east Fife ahead of the community council elections on November 16, Mr Collins urged “as many of you as possible to stand”.
He emphasised that community councils are not supposed to be political and stressed Yes Scotland activists should “not mention any political party or independence”.
He also said the move would “breathe new life into local democracy”, which would “help the cause in the longer term”.
But Mr Provan, a Better Together supporter, replied: “After all the work we have done and our achievements over the years, I find this insulting.
“It shows a complete contempt for the Royal Burgh of Cupar Community Council.”
Stating his regret that his private email had been acquired and made public by Mr Provan, Mr Collins has since apologised to Mr Provan if he felt insulted. However, he claims he had been misrepresented.
He said: “The email was sent in haste. Reading it back now, I can see it was not very well worded in places.
“It was not my intention to insult anyone, nor to denigrate the good work done by Cupar Community Council or any other community council.”
Mr Collins said he hopes people who were energised by the referendum where there was a turnout of 84.5% might make an effort to stand for election.
He added: “Even in Cupar, which has a well-attended community council, there are usually not enough people nominated to fill all the vacancies.
“The referendum has energised a lot of people to take more of an interest in how the country is run and their local community council is a good place for them to start getting involved.
“I am sure most community councils would welcome some fresh, new faces at their meetings.”
Cupar Community Council treasurer Robert Graham said he does not have an issue with anyone wishing to seek election and hopes many community councils have enough interest to hold a ballot.
He added: “If the interest following the independence referendum encourages people then all fair and well, but the important thing is that community councils are non-political. It would be unfortunate if this were to change by default or by the make up of those who are elected.
“It’s for the community of Cupar to decide how the make up shall be. My advice is to respect the right for anyone to stand and not react or fuel any arguments or criticism. Let’s remember, we are putting Cupar first, before ideology.”
Fellow Cupar community councillor David Kirk agreed. He said Mr Graham’s comments “set the appropriate tone” for the conduct of the upcoming election process.