Council tax could jump 7 per cent in single year after freeze

This meant these roles had to be decided by lot – splitting a new, shuffled deck of cards – with Councillor Dougie Philand replacing Councillor Maurice Corry as provost after drawing an eight of clubs versus a two of diamonds.

Taking his new seat in the Kilmory Castle chamber, newly elected Provost Philand said: “Thank you very much for entrusting your trust in me. And I can only hope that I will follow in the footsteps of previous provosts. 

“I think it’s only right at this time that we all collectively show our appreciation to the outgoing provost, Councillor Maurice Corry, for his two years in office. He certainly held the council’s head up high. I would ask the whole chamber to congratulate Maurice on a job well done.”

Leaving his gavel on the table, Councillor Corry said in reply: “Thank you very much, indeed. Well done. Congratulations and good luck.”

With another 18/18 tie to elect a leader, a new deck of cards was produced and the resulting draw saw Councillor Jim Lynch replace Councillor Robin Currie as leader after drawing a king of spades, compared to a six of hearts.

Councillor Lynch paid tribute to his predecessor, saying he has “big shoes to fill”.

Councillor Currie said: “I got on really well working with Robin. I think you’ve been an exceptional leader. I think your mild approach to everything has been really, really good. I hope I can do half as good a job as you’ve done.”

The third and last item, to clear all other administration posts and appoint new ones at the next full council meeting on April 25, was passed unopposed, with the new provost and leader in post.

Committee meetings scheduled between now and then will be on hold until chairs of these meetings are confirmed.

Speaking after the meeting, Councillor Armour said he was delighted by the change.

He added: “We need, firstly, to try to repair the relationship between the council and the people of Argyll and Bute.

“We want to change how things are done, and stand by our commitment to strengthen area committees. 

“We will be continuing the current systems in the short term in order to allow us space to explore how best we can implement changes that will be beneficial to our communities.”

Councillor Kelly, whose vote was crucial in allowing the opposition to take control of the council, said she remains firmly of the opinion that party politics should never come before what is best for constituents. 

“As an independent councillor, I want to make it clear that every decision I make has absolutely nothing to do with any political party and is solely about what I believe is best for my constituents,” she said. 

“Prior to the meeting, I received correspondence from not only ward one [South Kintyre] constituents but also from people across Argyll, who all expressed their extreme exasperation with the current system and, as said by one of the constituents, the ‘petty party political games’ being played in Kilmory. 

“The public have had enough of this behaviour at every level of government and are crying out for us as elected representatives to work collaboratively across the chamber in their best interests. 

“Personally, I would love to see the talent and skills across the chamber put to good use and the right people elected into relevant roles based on their skillset and not their political agenda.  

“We need a group of like-minded councillors who are willing to set their party persuasions aside and put all of their focus on the people of Argyll and Bute. No one should ever feel like they have to vote a certain way simply because they represent a particular party – first and foremost we, as local councillors, all represent our constituents and should be able to make decisions based on what we each genuinely feel is in their best interests at all times. 

“This is why I voted in support of a change in the leadership for Argyll and Bute Council as, after being in position for five months now, I felt that the previous administration were not working with our communities, and specifically South Kintyre’s, best interests in mind.”

Councillor Kelly said she plans to remain completely independent and unaffiliated with either the administration or opposition, and will continue to work with all colleagues and continue voting on each issue for the benefit of her South Kintyre ward.

One of the procedures she would like to see reformed is decisions being made by cutting cards, which is standard practice in these circumstances.

“Whilst I voted for and therefore agree with outcome of the special meeting, I do not agree with the tie-breaking procedure which made the final decision,” said Councillor Kelly. 

“I wholly believe that in this day and age, we should not be relying on a deck of cards to make pertinent decisions but rather should be looking at ways and means to obtain the council tax-payers’ opinions in situations of a hung council.”

A special meeting of full council on Monday April 15, to consider a council tax freeze this year – and a seven per cent increase next year – is scheduled to go ahead with the provost in place to take the meeting.

A special meeting of full council on Monday April 15, to consider a council tax freeze this year – and a seven per cent increase next year – is scheduled to go ahead with the provost in place to take the meeting.