A MORAY Council meeting was suspended after its leader broke down in tears due to the confusion surrounding the closure of Moray libraries last week.
The Tory-ran Moray Council, led by Kathleen Robertson, had to be paused for a minute when she broke down in tears while apologising for the confusion surrounding the closure of Moray libraries.
This special meeting was requested by the SNP group following last week's debacle.
Last week the Scottish Conservatives announced a U-turn, saying the plans for seven library closures “will no longer be taken forward” and are “no longer on the table,” accompanied by comments from Councillor Robertson, deputy leader Donald Gatt and Highlands and Islands MSP Douglas Ross.
However, this statement, retracted a few hours later, reflected the Conservative position rather than the Tory-run council position.
It was later alleged that neither Robertson nor Gatt had seen the initial press release before it was sent.
During the Moray Council meeting, Robertson was allowed a few minutes and apologised if “trust has been eroded” in her leadership.
“We all recognise mistakes happen, I want to reiterate that once we recognised the party’s mistake we reacted to remedy the situation, including with a sincere apology to the public, written apology to staff and to elected members,” declared Robertson during the meeting.
“I can guarantee that Councillor Gatt, myself and the wider Conservative party have learned lessons from this and have proactively taken steps to ensure it does not happen again.
“We totally understand the distress caused by this, and for this, we are terribly sorry.”
Roberston and Gatt signed up for a refresher on code of conduct training.
By the end of January 2025, campaigners will discover if seven of the Moray libraries will close. It includes facilities in Lossiemouth, Burghead, Cullen, Dufftown, Fochabers, Keith and Tomintoul.
