News / SIC doles out minor committee chairs
AFTER agreeing a new committee structure for the council as part of its improvement plan, councillors on Wednesday voted in the top positions on the smaller committees that have been established.
Florence Grains and Allison Duncan were unanimously made chair and vice chair of the new audit and standards committee, that replaces the former audit and scrutiny committee on which they held the same positions.
The same situation applied to Frank Robertson and Gary Robinson, who are now chair and vice chair of the development management committee that replaces the planning board.
Jim Budge takes over as chairman of the licensing committee, with former licensing sub committee chairman Cecil Smith now becoming vice chair of the new body.
Councillors voted by 13 votes to five for Robert Henderson to become chairman of the harbour board rather than his challenger Jim Henry. He will be supported by Alastair Cooper as vice chairman, who is stepping down as the board’s chairman.
Andrew Hughson retains the chairmanship of the Shetland College board and Laura Baisley keeps the vice chair.
There were two battles to become vice chair of two of the new major committees on the council, after the chairs were voted in on 7 March.
Caroline Miller beat Bill Manson by 11 votes to nine to become vice chair of children, families and learning, making this the first committee with an all female leadership. Mr Manson had been beaten to the chair on 7 March by Betty Fullerton.
Addie Doull went on to knock out Gary Robinson’s bid to be vice chair of economy and development by the same margin of votes. Alastair Cooper is the chairman of that committee.
Allison Duncan was voted in unopposed as vice chair of communities, health and wellbeing to support Cecil Smith in the chair.
There was also no opposition to Allan Wishart taking up the vice chair of environment under Iris Hawkins, the same combination that currently runs the infrastructure committee.
An attempt by Jonathan Wills to get councillors to agree to retain the existing six week cycle was defeated by 11 votes to nine by Caroline Miller’s suggestion that the decision be left until a seminar on the matter had been held in private.
Dr Wills said: “I have had enough of seminars. I don’t believe in phoning around the night before and stitching everything up. We must consider the interests of the staff who have to coordinate and do all the work.”
However Rick Nickerson was assured that the unwieldy names of the new major committees will be changed.
Earlier this month he said he would have had difficulty remembering them if he was having a chat with someone down the pub on a Friday night.
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