The SNP’s Dave Doogan, who was elected MP for Angus in December, will formally stand down as a councillor for Perth City North today.
Mr Doogan has represented the Perth and Kinross Council ward for eight years and became the SNP’s local group leader in 2017.
He will announce his departure at this afternoon’s full council meeting, the first assembly of its kind since the general election.
“Representing Perth City North for eight years has been a tremendous honour for me,” he said.
“I have been privileged to have made many productive relationships and together we have achieved a great deal by bringing community and council ambitions together.
“Perth City North is an outstanding part of our city with many examples of community capacity working to improve life for people living in the area.
“Serving on the council can be frustrating at times, but I have greatly enjoyed playing my part in improving services and environments for residents across Perth and Kinross.”
Mr Doogan campaigned for community groups following the closure of the city’s Fairfield Neighbourhood Centre, and fought for the PH20 project at Perth’s leisure pool when its budget was slashed.
He recently led a successful battle against Perth and Kinross Council’s role in the Tayside-wide frozen school meals initiative.
And he survived controversy after rival party councillors took exception to his references to “red coats” and “quislings” during a debate on the Gaelic language.
After weeks of criticism from then-opposition leaders, he apologised to council officers for causing the extra workload and “negative publicity” but declined to say sorry for the actual comments.
More recently, Mr Doogan was involved in the initial phases of work to transform Perth City Hall.
He said: “As a senior councillor I have been lucky to be involved in outside organisations across the country.
“This has allowed me to recognise that despite our numerous challenges here in Perth and Kinross, we remain a high performing council and this is something we should all be proud of.
“I am delighted now to represent the people of Angus at Westminster for as long as this is required, but I remain forever grateful for my years on this council and the role I have been granted in representing Perth City North.”
A by-election will be announced in due course.
