Angus councillor Ewan Smith today quit the SNP ruling group and stepped down from his role as education vice-convener.
The Arbroath dad was elected just last May after leading a campaign against the £8 million scheme to replace Muirfield and Timmergreens with a new superschool at Hospitalfield.
As a key figure in the Muirfield Parents Action Group, Mr Smith was instrumental in pinpointing several flaws in the proposal of the then-Angus Alliance coalition that led to its downfall.
Mr Smith issued a statement exposing a split within the SNP ranks but said the core issue he campaigned on was the reason for his decision to stand down.
He said: “It is with great disappointment, that following amicable discussions with the council Leader Iain Gaul, that I am making the decision to resign from the SNP group and relinquish my post as vice-convener of education with immediate effect.
“I wish, instead, to see out the remaining four years of my term as an independent, free of any political persuasion or party protocol.
“Clearly, after just ten months as a councillor, this is not a decision that has been taken lightly. Neither is it a knee-jerk reaction.
“It is the culmination of a series of events over the core issue I campaigned on the Arbroath Schools project.”
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