Motion had been discussed

Letter published in Greenock Telegraph 08/01/10

It is difficult to know where to begin in responding to the SNP’s rising star, Innes Nelson (Telegraph 11 December), but I will give it a go.

If he does not believe that the opposition amendment was effectively a motion of no confidence in the Chief Executive I suggest that he actually speaks to John Mundell. Maybe then he will understand the implications of the proposals he supported.

For his information the motion that I moved, which amended one of the recommendations in the Chief Executive’s report, was fully discussed with Mr Mundell in advance of the meeting and he had no difficulty with what I proposed. The first Mr Mundell knew of the opposition amendment was when Councillor MacLeod read it out at the meeting.

Councillor Nelson alludes to the fact that the proposals contained within the Chief Executive’s report belonged to the Administration. That is simply not the case. The proposals came from Mr Mundell.

With regard to the issue of compulsory redundancies, the recommendation accepted by the Council related solely to a small number of individuals affected by the management re-structure. I am hopeful that there will be no need for any compulsory redundancies arising from this re-structure. It is worth noting that to date I have received absolutely no direct representations from the trade unions in connection with this matter. They seem to have a better understanding of the challenges faced by the Council than opposition Councillors.

Indeed Councillor Nelson’s hope that the pressures on public finances will be short-lived is nothing short of fanciful. He clearly has not been listening to the advice of the Council’s Chief Financial Officer or keeping abreast of the current national debate, which is surprising for someone who I believe is seeking to represent Inverclyde in the United Kingdom Parliament.

Councillor Nelson’s claim that Audit Scotland’s presence in the Municipal Buildings is so that they can keep an eye on my ‘struggling administration’ is utter nonsense. If he cares to read the most recent Audit Scotland follow up report he will find that the Council has come a very long way since the critical Best Value report of 2005 when the Lib Dems were in control. The continuing Audit Scotland presence is in connection with the ongoing annual audit of the Council’s financial systems and records. If he does not believe me he should speak to the Council’s Chief External Auditor, Peter Tait.

Finally, it would be remiss of me not to comment on the SNP Group’s desire to form a new Council Administration along with the Lib Dems and Independent Councillor Charlie McCallum.

Perhaps Councillor Nelson and his colleagues can be forgiven for forgetting the four disastrous years of Lib Dem control of the Council between 2003 and 2007. They have surely not forgotten however that recently a senior SNP Councillor approached me on behalf of his Group asking for my Group’s support for removing Lib Dem Leader Alan Blair as Chair of the Audit Committee?

If Councillor Nelson is looking for cracks in coalitions I would suggest he looks a bit closer to home.