By Graham Brown

THE PROVOST of Angus is the subject of another complaint to Scotland’s civic watchdog—the third against her this year.

A Brechin residents’ group has lodged a formal complaint with the Standards Commission for Scotland over Mrs Ruth Leslie Melville’s conduct in relation to a development control matter concerning a house built by her son in the town’s Caldhame Gardens.

It comes in the wake of Mrs Leslie Melville being cleared last month of any wrongdoing over a bottom-smacking complaint made by Forfar SNP councillor Glennis Middleton, whilst a further inquiry is ongoing into another matter raised at the start of the year.

The latest complaint, newly lodged with the Fife-based commission, alleges that the provost has abused her position to obtain preferential treatment for her son in a saga which has already led the authority to take enforcement action in the issue.

Mrs Leslie Melville’s son, Robin, has been in dispute over the creation of a turning point at his home, and the matter has moved beyond the chamber of Angus Council into the civil court.

Last October, Angus development standards committee members instructed enforcement action in relation to a breach of condition, which had demanded the creation of the turning point prior to construction of the house at 18 Caldhame Gardens following its approval by Angus councillors in 2005.

Mr Leslie Melville, through applicant company Stilton Developments, had previously appealed the condition, but Scottish Ministers threw out that bid and ordered the creation of the turning area.

A six-month compliance deadline was placed on the enforcement action last year, but with that set to run out in weeks there is no definite end in sight to the stand-off between the parties involved.

The Caldhame Gardens Road Committee complaint to the Standards Commission alleges that Mrs Leslie Melville has breached the principles of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct in a number of areas, including integrity, openness, honesty, leadership and objectivity. It also criticises the provost’s committee conduct.

“It would appear Councillor Leslie Melville has been very much influential in ensuring that her son received preferential treatment in an attempt to substantially reduce his financial commitment and planning obligation, at the expense of other residents who live on Caldhame Gardens and Caldhame Lane...who are expected to forfeit their rights to safeguard their children’s safety while Councillor Leslie Melville continues to demonstrate her support for something that contradicts the unanimous decisions that have been taken time and time again by her colleagues on the development control committee that received further support from the Scottish Executive,” states the complaint.

Only last month, The Courier revealed the findings of Standards Commission chief investigating officer Stuart Allan over his probe into the complaint against the Brechin independent member by Mrs Middleton.

She had reported the provost after being smacked on the bottom and allegedly called a “naughty girl” by the district’s civic figurehead after arriving late for council meeting last November.

Exonerating Mrs Leslie Melville of any breach of the councillors’ code, Mr Allan said he believed the gesture to be a “gee up” from the provost, made in a friendly spirit.