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Aberdeenshire Council leader branded ‘village fool’ as administration strained over lack of official plan

Banffshire and Banffshire Coast
Aberdeenshire Council leader Mark Findlater. Picture by Darrell Benns/DCT Media

The leader of Aberdeenshire Council has been branded a “village fool” by an administration colleague amid increasing concerns about their lack of an official plan.

Five months on from May’s election, the local authority still does not have a programme of business, which instructs officers on priorities over the next five years.

There is growing unrest that there remains no official plan to deal with the council’s budget pressures – or the cost-of-living crisis affecting tens of thousands of residents.

By contrast, Aberdeen’s coalition agreed an extensive policy document within a fortnight of polls closing.

Is ‘all over the place’ council leader to blame?

In 2017, the list of priorities was approved just a month after the election.

That allowed councillors to begin work on the draft budget, which was presented the following November.

One administration insider said producing the plan should not be difficult, but they thought leader Mark Findlater was “all over the place” and he should stop “acting the village fool”.

Council plan ‘to come next month’

An under-pressure Mr Findlater responded by saying: “I take my role as leader of the administration and the council very seriously indeed.”

He told The Press and Journal there will be a “robust” plan by next month, adding: “We’ve all gone through so much these past few years and we’ve had to change our council plan.

“We’ve been doing an awful lot, working out what our priorities are for the people and the businesses of Aberdeenshire.”

Aberdeenshire Council HQ at Woodhill House. Picture by Paul Glendell/DCT Media

In August, we revealed that councillors from within the Conservative group that the Troup representative leads were growing frustrated at the slow progress of the agenda.

Mr Findlater said “unprecedented times” were pushing back the completion of the document.

‘Immense amount of work’

Fuel and energy prices are piling on the pressure for local residents.

He added: “That’s reciprocated within Aberdeenshire Council as well, our electricity prices are going up, and we’ve got to budget for these things.

“It’s an immense amount of work that the council, politicians and officers are doing.”

He said the council officers were putting “our wording, our direction, our steerage” into the document before it is released “in all its glory” in November.

Mark Findlater, right, on a visit to Aberdeen South Harbour earlier this year. Picture by Paul Glendell

In August, it was even claimed that a 100-day ultimatum had been placed on Mr Findlater as leader should he not accelerate progress.

But the Woodhill House insider said a lot of discussion was still to take place between the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and independents in the administration.

It is understood a list of six strategic priorities has been agreed by the three groups, and several meetings and workshops have taken place.

John Cox, who leads the independent group at the council, said: “Work is certainly in progress, our key challenges include budget constraints and the cost of living.

“We need to set out what we’re going forward with, and we haven’t got to that point yet.”

Lib Dem leader Anne Stirling could not be reached for comment.

Last plan agreed within two months

Two councillors pointed towards the speed with which a council plan was drafted and approved after an administration with the same political makeup was elected in May 2017.

However, Mr Findlater said: “If you look at what [then-Tory leader] Jim Gifford did with [then-Lib Dem leader] Peter Argyle, it was basically the Liberal Democrat manifesto with a few taglines from the Conservative manifesto added on to the end.”

He said work on the budget was taking place as the council plan was being completed.

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