Trusts

One of the side benefits of being a Councillor is that you receive training in a number of areas of which you would otherwise be in ignorance. With that comes responsibilities.

In common with all Councillors for the Stornoway Area, I became a Trustee of the Provosts Coal Fund and the Dr Robertson Bequest upon election. This is not a particularly onerous Committee, but it meant that every Trustee was given a thorough grounding in Trust law and it was very clear what our responsibilities would be.

Every member learned the basics such as the need to prepare accounts regularly, the need to take investment decisions on a regular basis, and the extent and nature of your ability to disperse funds.

Of course, most of the work is done by the Council Officers, but at the end of the day the Trustees are the people who are legally responsible for the management of the Trusts.

Neither I, nor my colleagues, could ever profess ignorance of our responsibilities as a Trustee in any capacity, and any attempt to do so would make us look like a fool or a knave.

This sort of knowledge is one of the many side benefits of being a Councillor.