MSP urged to step aside in conflict of interest row

FRESH calls were made last night for Scotland’s local government minister to stand aside from his job ahead of the council elections amid claims he had been involved in a “conflict of interest” after announcing a £40 million funding deal for councils last week.

Derek Mackay is facing demands from both Labour and the Liberal Democrats to temporarily stand aside following his announcement last week on SNP proposals to help pay council tax benefit on behalf of Scotland’s 32 councils.

Voters go to the polls a week on Thursday for the local government elections. Guidelines for the election period state that “care needs to be taken” with official announcements which have a local bearing in the election period.

But the Scottish Government last night dismissed claims that Mackay had broken rules on “purdah”, pointing out that the announcement on the extra cash had been made jointly with Cosla, the umbrella body for Scotland’s 32 local authorities.

Labour, however, called on Alex Salmond to publish the advice he and his ministers received from their officials before going ahead with the announcement.

Scottish Labour’s shadow Cabinet secretary for local government, Sarah Boyack MSP, said: “Derek Mackay has demonstrated a clear conflict of interest between his two jobs and should be suspended from his ministerial duties with immediate effect.

“Strict rules rightly exist to prevent ministers exploiting public office for party political gain, and Derek Mackay has clearly overstepped the mark.”

She added: “If the SNP were serious about supporting our local councils, they would not have waited until two weeks before the council elections – flagrantly breaching rules on electioneering – to make this announcement.”

Guidelines for local government elections state: “Care also needs to be taken in relation to the announcement of Scottish Government decisions which could have a bearing on the local elections.”

They add that ministers may wish “to postpone making certain announcements until after the local elections”. In the case of doubt, it adds, “advice should be sought from the Cabinet secretariat”.

However, a spokesman for the Scottish Government said last night: “These claims are totally hypocritical and wrong – as has already been made clear, this announcement was fully in line with Scottish Government local government election guidance.”