The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
‘Pay it back’ demand to activists coached by SNP officer on Covid grants
Independence activists in Angus have been urged to repay tens of thousands of pounds in Covid support grants they received after being coached by an SNP national officer to raise funds “for the Indy cause”.
Brechin Blether In and Forfar Blether In – community Yes hubs that operate independently of the SNP – received £10,000 each from Angus Council after being encouraged to apply by Tim Rideout, the director of a maps company who has been tasked with establishing a currency policy for the SNP.
The activists say they were entitled to apply for the cash and it was up to Angus Council to refuse the claims if they were inappropriate, but the hubs have been accused of “trousering” money meant for hard-pressed businesses.
Business support grants were introduced last year to help local firms struggling to cope under the strain of the Covid-19 pandemic.
We reported previously how SNP branches in Arbroath and Montrose were ordered to pay back £20,000 of business support they should never have been given because the rules do not permit grants to political parties.
We also revealed how Mr Rideout, who has since taken a place on the SNP’s national policy development committee, asked for a “wee donation” to the Scottish Currency Group if independence activists were able to successfully claim £10,000 with his help.
Mr Rideout is convener of the group, which describes itself as “people working towards the introduction of a Scottish currency as soon as practicable after Independence Day”.
Forfar Blether In received a £10,000 grant following a now deleted online conversation between one of its activists, Bill Golden, and Mr Rideout on July 8 2020, when the latter said it would be a “criminal waste” for Yes supporters to miss out on claiming the cash.
The Forfar hub receives small business bonus relief so, in Mr Golden’s owns words, they “pay zero”, but he asked Mr Rideout the “cheeky question” of whether the hub can still apply and where, before receiving individual support through the application process.
During the conversation, Mr Rideout boasted of raising tens of thousands of pounds “for the Indy cause” from the “free gift of £10,000”given to Yes groups, while Mr Golden gloated about “Westminster money helping us get rid of Westminster”.
Brechin Blether In received its £10,000 after Mr Golden said he would pass the information to Angus SNP councillor Kenny Braes.
He told Mr Rideout: “I passed on info to Kenny Braes of Brechin Blether In. He’s putting an application in tomorrow hopefully.”
Mr Braes, who represents the Brechin and Edzell ward, told us that while he is involved with the Brechin Blether In, he did not submit the application and could not recall whether he had passed the details on to another individual to apply.
Scottish Conservative North East MSP Maurice Golden called on both hubs to apologise and immediately repay the money they received.
He said: “It seems separatists all over Angus were trousering money which was meant to help hard-pressed, honest businesses.”
Mr Braes accused the Conservative MSP of “sour grapes”.
Asked if he was comfortable with Bill Golden and Tim Rideout’s comments about the money being used for the independence cause, he said: “None of those comments came from me.”
He said: “We used that money basically to pay the rent and overheads we need to pay to keep going so we can open again – and we have opened again.”
Meanwhile, Mr Rideout said “it is not for the applicant to know whether their application is valid and correct” and that the grants are “for all occupiers of business premises on the Business Rates roll with the sole exception of political parties”.