Councillor’s BBC interview rebuke

A COUNCILLOR who almost bulldozed Donald Trump’s plans to build a luxury golf course in Scotland landed in trouble again yesterday.

Martin Ford was sacked in 2007 from a committee role after his casting vote blocked plans for the multimillion-pound resort on the Aberdeenshire Coast.

Plans for the links course were then called in by the Scottish Government and eventually approved.

Now the councillor is facing a reprimand after airing his views on the Trump International Golf Links to a TV crew in the council HQ without permission.

The Councillors’ Code of Conduct states that local authority facilities should only be used for official business or for “incidental” personal use.

Mr Ford was asked to explain why the council were not notified of the interview in a meeting with chief executive Colin Mackenzie — which he then missed.

Mr Mackenzie said: “Had Councillor Ford been able to attend the meeting, we would have had the opportunity to discuss how, as a matter of courtesy, I would have expected to have been advised of his intention to use the council’s HQ as a location for his interview with BBC Panorama.”

Mr Ford denied any wrong-doing yesterday.

He said: “I accept and agree that councillors cannot use council premises to talk about their private business. But I wasn’t giving an interview on my private business. I was being interviewed about a planning decision by the council that I was involved in.”

Picture: PA. Martin Ford.