Argyll and Bute Council deputy leader rapped

The deputy leader of Argyll and Bute Council has been censured for contravening two elements of the code of conduct for councillors.

Helensburgh councillor Gary Mulvaney was subject to a hearing last month in relation to the introduction of new parking restrictions near a sheltered housing development run by Dunbritton Housing Association in Cardross.

The Standards Commission for Scotland found that Councillor Mulvaney – who is still a member of Dunbritton’s board – had failed to declare an interest when the parking limits issue was discussed by the council’s Helensburgh and Lomond area committee in December 2017.

A report by the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland (ESC) prompted a hearing held in Helensburgh on January 18.

The hearing panel decided to censure Councillor Mulvaney, although the panel also noted his long service to public life as a councillor and were satisfied he had made no personal gain.

The panel’s report will be put before a full council meeting on Thursday, February 21.

Councillor Mulvaney said: ‘In practical terms, this was an issue whether the council put double yellow lines in a layby, which is adjacent to a small number of Dunbritton homes.

‘The hearing panel accepted that the matter was clearly one of road safety and that I was trying to act in the overall public interest.

‘They agreed that I had a finely balanced judgement to make and that I was diligent in applying the code and acted in the proper manner.

‘However, in what was for them a finely balanced decision, they considered that when faced with such a fine judgement call, I should have erred on the side of caution and withdrawn.

‘That is something I accept and will be bear in mind in the future.’