By Gordon Berry

SCOTLAND’S STANDARDS Commissioner has received the first of a number of complaints about the decision of Fife Council’s Labour administration to impose a three line whip on some apparently reluctant councillors at a recent meeting which voted through Fife’s highly controversial structure plan.

The representations are being sent by campaigners who were furious over the way the administration used the whip as it moved to push through the plan against much opposition.

At the same time the full council overturned a recommendation from its own powerful policy and resources committee that alterations should be made to the plan as it affects various parts of Fife.

Strong concern has been raised over the amount of new housing proposed, and the plan, now before the Scottish Executive for approval, has been described as a “developers’ charter.”

It is understood that complaints are being made about every Labour councillor who took part in the vote, and one of the first is directed at administration leader Councillor Anne McGovern.

The complaint has been sent by Cupar lawyer Ceri Williams, who said yesterday that the code of conduct for councillors states under objectivity that they must make decisions solely on merit when carrying out public business.

Mr Williams, who has expressed particular concern about planned growth in Cupar, said he believed that the councillors breached the code of conduct leading up to the full council meeting.

“The Labour administration imposed a ‘three line whip’ on Labour councillors, forcing them to vote against the motion that the changes should be approved.”

Mr Williams said yesterday that he was aware some Labour councillors had been forced to vote against the motion calling for changes in the structure plan, and were uncomfortable in doing so.

One of them, he said, had sent an Email to a Tayport-based group, and had clearly stated that the whip had been imposed.

He added that while one part of the code of conduct specifically refers to individual planning applications, the underlying duty of councillors is that they must make decisions solely on merit when carrying out public business

“It could be argued that each Labour councillor was guilty of a breach of the code by following the direction to vote in a certain way, but I consider Councillor McGovern, as leader of the Labour administration, to be the architect or one of the architects of the breach.”

Yesterday Mrs McGovern said it was her view that the Fife structure plan is a strategic policy document relating to the whole of Fife.

“Like any other strategic policy document, each political group has its way of taking a view on the policy. All groups had at least one or two presentations by officers on the structure plan, and it was up to them then to take a view on it.

“Consultation did take place over a lengthy period, and was taken into consideration given that the draft document was amended following that consultation”

Mrs McGovern said that in her view there was no breach of the code of conduct, and added that the Liberals, SNP and the Labour parties all have their own methods of reaching decisions.

“The decision which was taken in this instance was not of individual planning applications, it was on a 20-year policy document. The administration’s job is to bring forward policy documents and that’s what was done in this instance”

She also said that there is still a consultation period when people can comment directly to ministers.