The co-leader of Aberdeen City Council is facing calls to quit a top post – and slash his salary by about £15,000 – after “overseeing the incompetence” of controversial road changes.
Councillors will be dragged back to the chambers for a crisis meeting this week as Ian Yuill is urged to resign as chairman of the committee behind the city centre’s much-maligned transport overhaul.
It will be the second emergency summit in little more than a fortnight.
However, Liberal Democrat local authority veteran Mr Yuill has branded the latest crunch talks a “political stunt” – and accused his rivals of “sniping from the sidelines”.
How did we get here?
The council’s SNP and Lib Dem ruling group made a major blunder when they voted to remove the right turn ban onto Rosemount Viaduct from Union Terrace in October.
It was the one concession they made to traders as they voted to make damaging bus gates on Guild Street, Market Street and Bridge Street permanent.
In December, embarrassed officials admitted making a mistake by advising councillors they could do away with just that one part of a package of measures.
But it was Mr Yuill who put his name to the ill-fated plan that resulted in a subsequent screeching U-turn.
Demands for Ian Yuill to pay the price for bus gates shambles
The proposed tweak, council lawyers warned, might have presented a legal loophole that could have seen the entire system challenged in court.
Frantic top brass assembled for a crisis meeting on Wednesday, December 18.
At this point, SNP and Lib Dem councillors appeared to slam the door closed on the prospect of further bus gate debate by undoing the vote they made in October.
The right-turn ban is now bound to stay.
But just when they thought the case was closed, opposition members are calling another round of urgent talks.
And this time, they are demanding Mr Yuill pay the price for the mistake by surrendering almost half of his salary.
Labour and Conservative opposition councillors are also pleading for the Scottish Government’s transport chief to intervene…
What is happening now?
Aberdeen City Council’s Conservative group has now proposed a unique form of New Year first footing – by booting Mr Yuill out of his top position.
Tory group leader Rick Brooks said: “I will call on council co-leader, Iain Yuill, who is the convenor of Net Zero Environmental and Transport Committee, to resign.
“Ultimately this incompetence all began under his direction.”
‘Ian Yuill must do the honourable thing’
As convener of the committee, Mr Yuill takes home a yearly £34,707.
Were he to take the voluntary demotion, he would be bumped down to £20,099.
But Labour’s M Tauqeer Malik says this would be the “honourable thing” to do.
Mr Malik said: “Councillor Yuill must do the honourable thing and resign as convener.
“It is clear Councillor Yuill no longer has the support of business and citizens following his failure to carry out proper diligence around his motion [on Union Terrace] in October.”
‘This is another political stunt’
Mr Yuill does not appear to be making any resolutions around giving up his convener job, however.
He told The Press and Journal: “Sadly, this is another political stunt by Aberdeen’s Conservative and Labour councillors.”
Mr Yuill continued: “We have all seen over the last two-and-a-half years that they are more interested in dither, delay, and attacking individuals than in discussing the future of our city.
“Our partnership is working to transform Aberdeen’s city centre.
“All the Conservative and Labour councillors do is snipe from the sidelines.”
‘Ian Yuill should not resign over bus gates’
And he was backed up by co-leader Christian Allard, who heads the council’s SNP group.
Mr Allard said: “I work closely with Ian Yuill every day and he has our full support in both that role and as Net Zero Environment and Transport Convener.
“This is nothing more than a political stunt by the Conservatives.”
With a resignation unlikely to occur, it’s understood that Labour and Conservative councillors will call for a vote of no confidence in Mr Yuill.
Do you think Mr Yuill should step down? Let us know in our comments section below
Could government intervene in Aberdeen’s bus gates saga?
Meanwhile, Tory leaders have highlighted that the paperwork required to make the changes permanent needs to be signed off by the Scottish Government…
And this means that Holyrood could, in theory, have the power to stop the measures from becoming permanent.
Mr Brooks said this plea was a last-ditch bid to “avoid allowing the SNP/Lib Dem administration to once again fly us blindly into another disaster”.
He added: “I will be calling on the chief executive to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Transport to withhold Scottish Government consent for the permanency of this order.”
What does Transport Scotland say?
However, Scottish transport chiefs indicate it would be unusual to become “directly” involved in such a debate.
A spokesman said: “In Scotland, responsibility for all traffic management on local roads lies with local authorities.”
“Neither Scottish Ministers nor the Scottish Government would become directly involved in their day-to-day duties.”
Aberdeen Inspired chief executive Adrian Watson is hopeful that a Common Sense Compromise on the bus gates could yet be reached.
He said: “We urge the council to come back to the table to discuss this – and to carry out full economic impact assessments on the changes.”
When will talks take place?
Just days into 2025, councillors will be plunged back into action.
The Conservatives, backed by Labour, have called a special meeting of the council on Friday, January 3, at 10am.
While wet weather may have forced the cancellation of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay party, there could be enough fireworks during the chamber’s showdown to make up for it.
Read more:
Explained: Why Union Terrace wrong turn has caused chaos for councillors who ‘didn’t know the rules’
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