Aberdeen Voice

Councillor Debra Storr has contacted Aberdeen Voice to explain her removal as Vice Chair of the Formartine Area Committee

On Tuesday 31 August, my ward colleague Councillor Rob Merson (SNP) sprang an emergency motion to remove me as Vice Chair of the Formartine Area Committee. To my astonishment, Rob was unable to articulate clearly what the emergency was, but the Chair, Councillor John Loveday (LibDem), agreed to take the motion. It was passed.

Councillor Merson cited as the reasons for my removal comments I made about my colleagues’ indecisiveness on the siting of a new Ellon Academy and my failure to attend some site visits.

I don’t think these have anything to do with me as Vice Chair, and indeed I have received no complaints or even adverse comments regarding my role as Vice Chair.

So what motivated Councillor Merson and the other Formartine Councillors to act in this way?
I know Councillor Merson doesn’t like me mentioning him in my blog –

http://www.debrastorr.org/2009/09/future-at-menie.html

– and of course we have political differences.

I think, however, that this is simply a continuation of the divide on the Formartine Area Committee post-Trump. Faced with a planning application at Menie, my colleagues are prone to saying things like, “We must press ahead as quickly as possible with this development”.

No!

We have a duty to scrutinise all proposals and ensure compliance with the conditions of the permission granted by the SNP government.
Not being Vice Chair will not stop me doing that job. It will not stop me speaking out to protect the Menie residents whose homes remain under threat because my colleagues refuse to rule out compulsory purchase, thereby giving the Trump Organisation every reason to believe that whatever they ask for will be given.