Social Care Charges Complaint Against Fife Councillors Rejected

A COMPLAINT against a number of Fife councillors that alleged they had been dishonest and “misled the public” over social care charges has been dismissed.

The leader of the council, SNP councillor Peter Grant, was one of 10 councillors who were accused of contravening Fife Council’s code of conduct.

A report before the standards and audit committee on Tuesday stated that the chief investigating officer of the Standards Commission for Scotland found they had done nothing wrong.

Mr Grant was accused of failing to answer questions arising from a public meeting in April about the council’s proposals to increase charges for non-residential social work services.

The complaint said he and Councillor Tim Brett, who was also present, had “misled the public” by stating that impact assessments had been carried out and they breached the key principles of duty, openness and honesty outlined in the code.

Councillors David Cunningham, Alastair Hunter, Susan Leslie, Carol Lindsay, David McDiarmid, Elizabeth Riches, David Torrance and Marilyn Whitehead, were also accused of breaching the principles of duty and integrity by voting for the implementation of the charges at two separate meetings.

All the councillors who responded rejected the allegations on the basis they had given serious consideration to the impact of the proposed charges and that they acted on clear advice given by council officers that the policy was proper and legal.

It was stated that the questions that arose at the public meeting had been answered.

The chief investigating officer said part of the complaint was based on the wrong assumption that the obligations to ensure an adequate impact assessment of the policy fell on councillors as individuals.

He said it fell on the council as a corporate body and that it was up to council officers to make sure any proposed policy was proper and legal.

Councillors were entitled to rely on assurance and advice from officers and he ruled that the councillors had not breached the code.