Latest news with #AberdeenshireCouncil
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Appeal lodged over rejected Daviot crematorium plans
An appeal has been lodged with the Scottish government over plans for a crematorium which were rejected by Aberdeenshire Fraser Milne lost his bid to construct the facility at Daviot near Inverurie earlier this said it would help meet growing demand, but a local business objected to the plans. A Scottish government reporter will now be assigned to the case, and is expected to make a recommendation to ministers in the coming months. Mr Milne wants to build a crematorium on a site on the Inverurie to Rothienorman road. One neighbouring business - Stewart Trailers - raised concerns that it could affect its viability. Aberdeenshire Council's Garioch area committee agreed with planning officials' view that it should go ahead. However, the Formartine area committee voted against it and were backed by the infrastructure services committee at a later meeting. In his statement of appeal Mr Milne's solicitors said the council acted unreasonably in refusing the application without giving reasons for doing argued that the council had been inconsistent when considering other applications for Council said it would be inappropriate to comment.
STV News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- STV News
Councillor suspended after making 'inappropriate' comments about Gypsy Travellers
A Stonehaven councillor has been suspended for two months after she was found to have made 'inappropriate' comments about Gypsy Travellers. Wendy Agnew was thought to have suggested that 'gypsies are not British people' at a Kincardine and Mearns area committee meeting back in November 2023. Her comments were made during discussions around retrospective plans to change the use of the Findon Park football pitch near Portlethen into a Gypsy Travellers site. The incident sparked some controversy and resulted in Agnew stepping down as committee chairwoman. A councillor colleague made a complaint about her comments the following month and an investigation was carried out by the ethical standards commissioner. In April, the Standards Commission was sent a report that suggested that Agnew had breached the Councillor's Code of Conduct. The Stonehaven member faced the Standards Commission on Tuesday to face the consequences of her comments. Ethical standards commissioner Ian Bruce said: 'The respondent made inappropriate comments about Gypsy Travellers and the appropriateness of granting a retrospective planning application for a Gypsy Traveller site, including insinuating that they are not British. 'This was deemed a failure to treat everyone with courtesy or respect, and also a failure to advance equality of opportunity and to seek to foster good relations between different people.' Aberdeenshire Council Wendy Agnew, Aberdeenshire Council At the meeting, Agnew admitted she didn't 'feel hatred' towards Gypsy Travellers and blamed her comments on 'clumsy language'. The councillor also stated that she had 'no intent to be disrespectful'. Before the recording of the meeting was published online to YouTube, it had been edited to remove Agnew's comments. The council's head of legal and people, Karen Wiles, admitted this had been done to prevent the local authority from facing any potential legal challenges. She said: 'It was apparent to me that people of a Gypsy Traveller community may have seen themselves as being differentiated from British people. 'That could be offensive since the two terms are not mutually exclusive.' Standards Commission member and chair of the hearing panel, Helen Donaldson, said members found Agnew had treated the applicant 'less favourably' because she was a Gypsy Traveller. They based this on Agnew's suggested knowledge of unauthorised use of a different site and an assumption that travellers were 'more likely to breach planning conditions'. Ms Donaldson added: 'The provisions that state councillors must be respectful, must foster good relations between different people and must avoid any perception that they are not acting fairly and without bias when making decisions on quasi-judicial matters, such as planning applications, are key requirements of the Councillors' Code. 'The panel noted that a failure to comply with the code's provisions in this regard can have a detrimental impact on the right of an applicant to be treated fairly, and can erode public confidence in the role of a councillor. 'Such a failure also had the potential to bring the committee, the council and its decisions into disrepute and open it up to the risk of a successful legal challenge.' The panel found that Agnew had breached paragraphs 3.1, 3.2, 7.4a, 7.4c and 7.5a of the councillor's code of conduct. Members then decided to hand the Stonehaven councillor a two-month suspension. This means she will not be allowed to attend any meetings or represent Aberdeenshire Council during this time. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Herald Scotland
29-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Aberdeenshire Tory civil war reaches breaking point
She became a Tory party agent when she was 19, moved to London and worked for Theresa May for nine years. READ MORE When she moved to Scotland she became the party's North East area manager and the agent for Douglas Ross. In 2007, she was elected to Aberdeenshire Council, eventually leading the Tory led administration. Now, she's one of a growing band of independents in the authority. Her shock resignation last week follows months of drama. She had been under pressure since a colleague leaked a screengrab of a WhatsApp message in which she called her fellow Tory councillors 'f****** b*******s' to the press. The situation was not helped when her husband, Steve, allegedly told a grandmother to 'p**s off' at a nursery protest. Mrs Owen denied her husband had sworn, telling the Press and Journal that the confrontation was sparked when the protesting pensioner 'violently shook a tambourine' at them. There was also a 'horrible' insult about a councillor from another party in a separate group chat. Details of exactly what Cllr Owen said remain private, but her apology was public. She told her rival they had every right to feel 'upset, angry and disgusted' at her 'callous and insensitive' comment. 'I want to sincerely apologise,' Cllr Owen wrote, calling the outburst a 'complete lapse in judgment' that did not reflect her true values or respect for the colleague. 'I do deeply regret this, and I am so very sorry,' she added. She said she made the decision to resign on Wednesday after receiving an email from a Tory colleague. It is not clear what was said — but it was the final straw. Douglas Ross and Gillian Owen (Image: Facebook) 'That finished me off. And I thought, now I'm not doing this anymore. I've just decided that the time had come for us to part ways, sadly. But now I'm just going to move on. That's what I want to try and do.' Ms Owen insists she is not defecting to Reform UK. 'I'm not crossing the floor or joining another party. People elected me as a Conservative, and I respect that. But judging by the emails I've had, some people might support me more now that I'm not in the party. I want to make it clear I'm not joining Reform — I've no intention of doing that.' That makes her an oddity among ex-Tory councillors in the North East, where five of her former colleagues are now in Nigel Farage's party. Former Aberdeenshire Council chief Mark Findlater and Mearns councillor Laurie Carnie joined last year. Ellon's John Crawley and East Garioch's Dominic Lonchay soon followed. Lauren Knight made the switch just two weeks ago. In fact, of the dozen ex-Tory councillors in Reform's ranks Scotland-wide, more than a third are in Aberdeenshire. There are some Reform-adjacent former Tories in the authority too. Robbie Withey quit the party to sit as an independent but is a supporter of Reform. Is this just Aberdeenshire — or a glimpse of the brutal civil war that could erupt within Tory ranks across Scotland as the threat from Reform looms larger? Nigel Farage's party has a strong ground game in the North East, particularly around Fraserburgh, where they are winning over disgruntled Conservatives and unhappy SNP voters. Last week's large-scale MRP poll by YouGov had them winning their highest vote share in Scotland in the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East constituency, second behind the SNP. The poll showed them 10 points ahead of the Tories in a seat which Douglas Ross lost by just 942 votes at last year's election. The same poll had Reform winning three seats at the next general election, and coming second in a slew of others. How do the Tories tackle this insurgency? Well, if Aberdeenshire is any guide, they will be hoping to fall back on the constitution. Last month, Ms Owen announced she was standing down as leader of the council's ruling Tory, LibDem and independent coalition, triggering a vote for new joint leaders. The SNP nominated Gwyneth Petrie for leader. Although she was defeated by 36 votes to 28, the split with the Tories is now so bitter that on Thursday the five Reform councillors backed the independence supporting councillor from Huntly, Strathbogie and Howe of Alford. READ MORE The Scottish Tories were cock-a-hoop. North East Tory MSP Douglas Lumsden was almost floating. 'Nigel Farage has already said he would be happy to let the SNP into power. Now we know for sure Reform candidates will vote for the Nationalists, while the Conservatives will keep the SNP out.' Following the vote, Reform councillor Laurie Carnie defended the support for John Swinney's party, telling local press: 'Obviously we're Unionists, but we just don't agree with the way the administration has conducted itself.' Gillian Owen's departure may seem like a local spat. Yet it is hard not to see in it something larger: a party fraying at the edges, struggling to hold the line as old loyalties snap and new alliances form.
BBC News
27-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Banff's historic former town hall goes up for sale
The historic former town hall in Banff has been put up for sale by Aberdeenshire A-listed building in the heart of the town dates from the local authority described it as now being "surplus to requirements".Offers are being sought, with no asking price. The former town hall is on the first floor of the two-storey local authority said it could provide a "good conversion opportunity"."Flexible office accommodation, meeting rooms, or an enterprise hub with space for makers such as workshop studios may be potential options," the council said."But equally the building could provide an opportunity for a unique residential redevelopment."
BBC News
26-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Former Aberdeenshire Council leader says she felt 'betrayed'
The Scottish Conservatives have said they had been planning to investigate the conduct of a council leader who has stood down claiming she felt "betrayed" by her resignation speech at Aberdeenshire Council, Gillian Owen also announced her decision to leave the Conservatives and stand as an Stewart Adams and Lib Dem Anne Stirling will now take up the joint leadership role.A Scottish Conservative spokesperson said: "The party had received complaints about Gillian Owen's conduct and was about to launch an investigation, so we are not surprised she has decided to avoid responsibility and quit." Last month Ms Owen announced her intention to stand down from her role at the helm of the council which is run as a Conservative, Lib Dem and independent prompted the selection of the new joint SNP had nominated Gwyneth Petrie for leader, but she was defeated by 36 votes to 28. In her resignation speech, Ms Owen said that - having worked for the Conservatives for years - she felt "betrayed" by some colleagues she had "considered friends"."I have been removed as leader of the Scottish Conservative Group and now leader of the council – all with the backdrop of the Scottish Conservative group losing members hand over fist to Reform. I wonder why that is?" she added. She said the Conservative party had "lost its way" and she had decided to become an independent. "I will no longer have a master to serve, nor will I have instructions from other elected representatives," she said.
