A SCOTTISH Tory councillor is facing criticism after described an anti-sectarianism seminar as a “load of old tosh”.
David Wilson of Inverclyde Council also claimed he would “not be lectured” by charity Nil by Mouth.
It comes just a month after Inverclyde Provost Drew McKenzie faced a backlash following his comments about the “gallous swagger” of an Orange Order parade.
He had also used the terms “Tim” and “Proddy,” for which he later issued an apology.
Wilson meanwhile made the comments in a letter to a local newspaper after the SNP group of councillors in Inverclyde called for all elected members to participate in an anti-sectarian seminar.
SNP councillors wanted to hold the meeting in a bid to “heal” community anger about McKenzie’s comments.
However, in a letter to the Greenock Telegraph, Wilson commented: “I note the request by the SNP group to the chief executive of Inverclyde Council for an anti-sectarian seminar to be attended by councillors.
“This frankly is a load of tosh. We do not need it, with our time being better spent looking after our constituents.”
He added: “Nor will we be lectured to by Nil by Mouth.”
The charity describes its “sole purpose” as “achieving a society free from sectarianism where cultural and religious diversity is respected”.
Speaking to the Daily Record, SNP MSP for Greenock Stuart McMillan said: “Nil by Mouth do an incredible job tackling sectarianism across Scotland – to label their training as ‘tosh’ is as ridiculous as it is insulting.
“Each Tory leadership candidate must now outline whether they agree with Councillor Wilson and if not they have to call out these comments and instruct Conservative councillors to attend any such training session that is organised.”
Meanwhile, the director of Nil by Mouth Dave Scott told the newspaper the sessions are free of charge and that they are not “lectures but discussions,” aiming to provide councillors with the chance to “talk about sectarianism and related issues in a mature and honest way”.
He added: "It also allows people the chance to reflect on the impact of language, attitudes and actions in a part or the world which is no stranger to these. We can evidence this by the number of schools and employers across Inverclyde who have asked us to visit.
"We have offered similar sessions to Inverclyde Council staff for a number of years and feedback has been positive precisely because it’s a discussion not a lecture. If the councillor doesn’t wish to attend no one has suggested compelling him to do so.
"We have worked in the past with members of the Conservative party at the direct request of its Scottish leadership and I am happy to make an open offer to meet with parties individually if that is how they prefer things to be."
A spokesperson for the Scottish Conservatives said the party recognised and supported "the great work of charities, like Nil by Mouth, in tackling the scourge of sectarianism".
A spokesman for Inverclyde Council said the local authority had worked with Nil by Mouth since 2016.
They added: "The training is not compulsory and elected members can opt to attend if they so wish."
