Councillor told he should quit after resignations

A war of words has erupted after two East Renfrewshire councillors quit their committee jobs.

Paul Aitken and David Macdonald resigned from their respective positions on the planning, licensing, and scrutiny committees on Wednes- day. Both members insisted they would now focus on devoting more time to their constituents.

But Conservative group leader Stewart Miller slammed the decisions and called on Cllr Aitken to fully resign from the council.

He said: “Councillor Aitken previously resigned from the education committee and the audit and scrutiny committee and now he’s stepped down from the planning committee. It means he’s doing absolutely nothing.”

The Tory leader claimed Mr Aitken had not attended any meetings of the Barrhead or Uplawmoor Community Councils before January.

But Mr Aitken, who quit the planning committee, denied those claims and criticised Mr Miller’s leadership of both the audit and scrutiny panel and the Conservative group.

He said: “I need to prioritise my time and I would far rather spend more time attending parent council meetings in primary schools and community council meetings, as well as spending more time with my constituents.”