The Licencing Board give in...
A Councillor phones me to let me know that the Licencing Board are about to lodge their defences against appeal by the Golf Club over the refusal of a Sunday Licence.
I'm told that the Chairman has refused to sign up to anything other than a bland statement reiterating the majority decision (which he opposed) and that no attempt at justification will be made.
Largely, of course, as the legal advice given to the Board Members was that refusal was illegal and would lead to a successful challenge and costs awarded against the Board. A matter confirmed by Cllr Murdo MacLeod when he abstained at the first hearing, before voting against after coming under pressure from the Church.
Am I right in understanding that the individual members were cited, as well as the Board? If so, could the Golf Club be looking for the £15,000 expenses to be paid by the Board Members individually, rather than by the Comhairle? That would be interesting.
I'm told that the Chairman has refused to sign up to anything other than a bland statement reiterating the majority decision (which he opposed) and that no attempt at justification will be made.
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| The Golf Club's legal advisor? |
Am I right in understanding that the individual members were cited, as well as the Board? If so, could the Golf Club be looking for the £15,000 expenses to be paid by the Board Members individually, rather than by the Comhairle? That would be interesting.
9 comments:
How far does the doctrine of collective responsibility go - out of interest. Wouldn't it just be the members who acted against legal advice (as it certainly should be) or are all liable given that no-one resigned on principle ?
The board Membership are now flawed as a competent entity to consider further applications and need to resign on mass to regain any credibility.
Please act as honourable servants and do the decent thing, go now.
resign on mass?
You are been far too polite, they should be fired for gross incompetence.
I recently attended one of the council's cost cutting meeting and raised the question regarding the council having to pay the golf club's appeal cost and was told by cllr Angus Campbell "i can asure you that the council will not be paying any costs" from the horses mouth.
11.30
I think I'll believe that when I see copies of the cheques with the signatures of the said members on.
It would be very interesting to see what evidence can be presented to support the claim that Councillor Murdo Macleod chose to vote against this decision following 'pressure from the church'.
Heb News claims that the cooncil solictor will not be attending court in case he or the cooncil is 'humiliated'.
Can he/she be reported to the Law Society for failing to turn up? Will the Sheriff be amused at these antics? Arrest warrants, anybody?
8.19
While I don't know all the detailed rules for solicitors, I would have thought that they might be in some professional or ethical difficulty if they were to attend court and attempt to argue points in direct contradiction to those which they had provided (so it seems) in written guidance to elected members. If anything was to make the sheriff or the Law Society 'not amused' I would think that that would be it - and not simply not attending.
11.30
De horse has a black eye - again.
"Didn't half kick his harse whose name was trigger"
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