Ejected ex-Tory councillor rejoins knife-edge coalition

Former Tory councillor Alastair Redman has rejoined Argyll and Bute Council's ruling coalition of Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and independents, which has regained its knife-edge majority over the opposition SNP-led group.

 

Councillor Redman, who won September's by-election in the Kintyre and Islands ward after losing the same seat in May's local elections, was also reappointed to the administration as policy lead for economic growth, communities and corporate services.

 

Following local elections on May 5, The Argyll, Lomond and Islands Group (TALIG), composed of 10 Conservatives, five Liberal Democrats, and four independents, formed an administration with a majority of two.

 

The TALIG group faces 17 councillors in opposition, composed of three independents, a councillor each from the Greens and Labour, and 12 SNP councillors, who form the largest single party group in the Kilmory Castle chamber.

 

In July, the council announced the death of John McAlpine, independent councillor for Kintyre and the Islands, and a member of the TALIG coalition.

 

It left the ruling coalition with a majority of one. The balance of power hung on the result of the Kintyre and the Islands by-election, held on September 29.

 

If its newly elected councillor joined the opposition group, both sides of the chamber would be tied with 18 members each, threatening TALIG's agenda.

 

On the night, Alastair Redman, who stood as an independent, gained 591 first preference votes, beating the SNP candidate Lachie Macquarie, who finished second place with 525 votes.

 

It is a remarkable comeback for the former sub-postmaster from Islay, who was first elected as a Conservative councillor in 2017.

 

Councillor Redman was appointed the policy lead for economic growth in 2019, and then, in October 2020, the policy lead for business, regeneration and commercial development.

 

But councillor Redman resigned from that role in September 2021, following his expulsion from the Conservative party, and an investigation by Boundaries Scotland, the body responsible for reviewing the number of wards for local government elections.

 

Councillor Redman responded at the time: ‘I certainly don’t believe for a second that helping out my constituents fill out forms for the boundary changes in what was a successful campaign to stop the changes was the wrong thing to do.

 

‘However it is my personal opinion that this matter was used by the Central Office Tories as a tool for taking myself out of the party.

 

‘I believe the real reason for my expulsion was myself being unwilling to blindly toe the party line and for being too much of a maverick and independently minded for the modern iteration of the Scottish Conservatives.'

 

Councillor Redman told The Oban Times he had voluntarily stepped down as a policy lead because of his suspension, but it was a role he would like to regain. He then sought re-election as an independent, and was returned, a year after his resignation.