Finance figurehead switch in Angus as leading councillor steps back to reduce duties

Angus Council’s depute administration leader has given up his finance role in the ruling group cabinet.

After four years as finance convener, Angus Macmillan Douglas said he was stepping down to reduce his workload.

Councillor Angus Macmillan Douglas.

Montrose Independent Mark Salmond will return to the post he held within the former Angus Alliance a decade ago.

Kirriemuir and Dean Conservative councillor Mr Macmillan Douglas said: “As a council we have made huge progress in improving our efficiency and protecting public services over this period.

“I am very grateful to administration colleagues and to officers, particularly to the director of finance and his team, for the close and constructive way in which we have all worked together through a challenging time.

“My reason for standing down is that I shall be 75-years-old later this year and would like to reduce my duties.

“I am honoured to continue as depute leader of the administration, supporting Councillor Fairweather.”

Redouble efforts

“I shall redouble efforts, with other members of the administration and officers, in promoting our Angus economic recovery programme so we do what we can to promote job opportunities and prosperity in Angus as the UK recovers from Covid-19,” he said.

Mr Salmond said “I am delighted to add this significant role to my areas of responsibility, it’s a role I carried out from 2007 to 2012.

“I am conscious of the serious financial challenges ahead in the next 12 months and I relish the opportunity to continue the excellent work done by Cllr MacMillan Douglas over the last  four years.

Councillor Mark Salmond.

“My aim is to keep council tax as low as possible in the 2022 budget, while continuing to protect and invest in education, social care and roads, just some of the services Angus residents rank highly.

He added: “Kickstarting the Angus economy as the county comes out of the Covid-19 pandemic will be a major area the council will focus on.

Community engagement

He continued: “Community engagement will become ever more important in helping shape council services for future years.

“Later this autumn we will embark on a major Angus-wide conversation to ask our residents what their priorities are and how each should be ranked  for council spend.

“I believe this is a great opportunity for Angus residents in their thousands to give views on their priorities.

“I know residents will engage willingly and thoughtfully in their responses, as they did in the recent Angus parking survey.”

Council leader David Fairweather has already signalled his intention to quit the council at the next election, saying retirement “can’t come too soon“.