THE councillor sacked for using his casting vote to reject Donald Trump's £1 billion golf resort plans yesterday accused the billionaire of trying to "gag" him at the forthcoming public inquiry into the development.
Martin Ford and three other Liberal Democrats on Aberdeenshire Council, who voted against the Menie estate resort, have indicated they intend to give evidence at the hearing, which is due to start on 10 June.
However, Mr Ford and his collea
gues yesterday claimed that a letter sent by a senior member of the Trump organisation's legal team to the chairman of the inquiry appeared to be an attempt to silence them or prevent them from appearing at the hearing.
The letter from Ann Faulds, a lawyer with Dundas and Wilson, seeks clarification on Mr Ford's status to appear at the inquiry as a "relevant person" as well as that of his colleagues, councillors Paul Johnston, Alastair Ross and Debra Storr.
Mr Ford said: "It would appear (Mr Trump] is looking for a way to prevent me and my colleagues appearing at the inquiry – or to get our status reduced. It would seem Mr Trump does not want an open debate."
Mr Ford, removed from his post as chairman of Aberdeenshire Council's main planning committee after he used his casting vote to reject the Trump application, added: "An inquiry in which opponents are prevented from speaking will not be seen as fair by many people in the North-east – even if that is what Mr Trump would prefer."
The councillor also criticised an attempt by Mr Trump's lawyers to have a letter he wrote to James McCulloch, the inquiry reporter, withdrawn as it was on Aberdeenshire Council-headed notepaper. Mr Ford said he was entitled to use council paper for corresponding as a councillor.
However George Sorial, Mr Trump's right-hand man who is spearheading the Menie estate application, described Mr Ford's claims as "absolute nonsense".
He added: "We have procedural, legal reasons for seeking clarification, but we also believe the public taxpayer and voters should know these councillors are not representing their constituents but their own personal views."
NEED FOR CLARIFICATIONANN Faulds said last night that Aberdeenshire Council was acting as an "enhanced consultant in support of the application" in the inquiry and "any councillor taking an opposing view would be speaking as an individual".
She added: "We wanted to know if these councillors are representing constituents or their personal views."
The full article contains 413 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
