A troubled north-east community council could be disbanded this week due to a lack of members.
Aberdeenshire Council’s Marr area committee voted yesterday to recommend the dissolution of the Mid Deeside Community Council and its future will be discussed by the full council.
The watchdog group was suspended for four months in January this year after members sent e-mails which the local authority considered disrespectful to Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside councillor Geva Blackett amid a row about the future of a railway station.
Councillor Peter Argyle, who sits on the Marr area committee, explained how the decision had been made.
He said: “We heard a presentation from the community council and have decided to recommend that it should be dissolved when it goes to full council.
“If full council agrees we will move to set up a replacement as soon as possible.
“The Aboyne area has around 2,500 residents and we need around 10 to 15 people to step forward and form a community council.
“Ideally there will be more than this so we can have elections and have the community council on a democratic basis.
Councillor Argyle added: “There have been long-running issues involving the community council but we did not consider them today.
“The community council has only got eight members and it is the constitution that there need to be a minimum of 10, that is not negotiable it is a statutory process.”
The issue will be discussed at a future meeting of the full council.
Members of Mid Deeside Community Council could not be contacted for comment.