Councillor facing suspension makes u-turn on decision to stand down
Andrew Wood's a member of Dumfries & Galloway Council
A councillor who was considering quitting after being suspended has had a change of heart and will stand for re-election next May.
Mid and Upper Nithsdale Councillor Andrew Wood has also urged voters to back independent candidates in next year’s elections to “remove all party political stupid nonsense” from the council.
Councillor Wood, who has served for nearly 20 years, was hit with a one-month suspension in September after the Standards Commission found he had been “disrespectful” to council chief executive Dawn Roberts. He was cleared of bullying and harassment.
After the hearing, Councillor Wood said he would “struggle to find it in me to stand again” if Mrs Roberts was still in post.
However, he said this week: “After a lot of soul searching, I have decided to stand again, with having heard from quite a few of my constituents along with the fabulous support from Oot and Aboot Dumfries followers who feel it would be letting council officers get away with nonsense and mismanagement.”
Having previously had stints with both the SNP and Conservatives over the past two decades, Councillor Wood is glad he went independent and hopes more independent elected members come forward.
He explained: “If the people of Dumfries and Galloway truly want their voice heard and real change made within our council then they must vote for independents, and in doing so we will remove all political stupid nonsense with political whips telling their group members what to do rather than acting on behalf of their constituents.”
He added: “The truth is that political parties try to outsmart each other or try to place the blame on the other parties rather than working collectively for the local people they are meant to represent.”
He also wants a shake-up of senior council staff to “eliminate jobs for the boys” and find candidates in future “who are qualified to do the job.”
A Standards Commission hearing took place in Dumfries last month into Councillor Wood’s conduct after he criticised chief executive Dawn Roberts in a newspaper column over a £2.66 million purchase of 12 new buses. She had approved the investment after Stagecoach left the region.
Mrs Roberts told the hearing she had acted quickly to avoid a “significant service failure”, and said Councillor Wood’s comments had left her feeling “disappointed, frustrated and undermined.”
Councillor Wood’s suspension begins on Monday (October 12) and runs for 30 days.