Controversial proposals to spend £3000 sending Stirling’s provost to Florida are to be discussed tomorrow - but the man himself has already said he won’t be going.
Bannockburn ward independent councillor Alasdair MacPherson and the opposition SNP group this week slammed the proposed use of up to £3000 of public money to pay for Provost Douglas Dodds to visit Dunedin in the US state next April.
Councillor MacPherson said he was sure the public would be “disgusted” at the thought of public funds being used to fly the provost on a “free junket” along with an overnight stay in a London Hotel, urging council leader Chris Kane to intervene.
Cllr MacPherson - who circulated a picture of Cllr Dodds face superimposed on a Mickey Mouse head - added: “There are families who could only dream about visiting Florida, so Kane needs to show leadership and stop it now.”
The costings for the trip - including flights, hotel stays and expenses - were included in council papers for the civic committee meeting, to be held on Thursday (tomorrow) drawn up by council officials.
But Douglas Dodds has already said he won’t be attending because he can’t justify the cost of the trip, according to Tory group leader Councillor Neil Benny.
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The SNP group meanwhile have tabled a resolution for next week’s full council meeting prohibiting all foreign trips by the provost or councillors at this time.
SNP group convener Councillor Gerry McLaughlan said: “The proposal to spend £3000 on flights and hotel bills is just not appropriate.
“We have communities struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, food prices increasing every month, energy bills continue at cripplingly high rates and the council having to face cuts at every level.
“The sight of the provost jetting off to a holiday destination in Florida at the Stirling residents’ expense, is just not a good look.”
Stirling Council’s civic panel is due to consider the invite and whether to then allow a spending request of up to £3000 at a meeting tomorrow (Thursday).
However, the process appears to be a technicality after Provost Dodds’ Conservative colleagues told the Observer yesterday (Tuesday) he had already made his mind up not to go.
Tory group leader Councillor Neil Benny said: “Douglas has already said that he won’t be going to Florida due to the cost to the taxpayer.
“SNP and Labour provosts ran up huge bills visiting Dunedin in the past, but Douglas takes his role seriously and doesn’t want to run up huge costs.
“Invitations are always considered at civic committee.
“Douglas is doing a great job as provost. It is just a shame the SNP are still in the huff and not contributing to the civic life of the district. Perhaps if they did they wouldn’t make such stupid comments.”
Stirling’s link with the city of Dunedin, Florida, was established in 1964 by the then Stirling District Council.
Although not twinned, Stirling is linked as a ‘sister city’ with Dunedin, through the Sister Cities International charitable organisation, whose mission is ‘to promote peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation - one individual, one community at a time’.
A number of visits have taken place over the years, both to Florida and by return to the UK. Due to Covid there was no visit to Dunedin by Stirling Council’s previous provost [Labour’s Christine Simpson]. Historically each provost has made one visit during their term of office, and has acted as chieftain of the Dunedin Highland Games.
The invitation extended to provost Dodds included a week-long programme of events including attending a baseball game, landmark tour, reception/dinner and Highland Games parade, with costs other than meals outwith the events covered by the hosts.
The report due before tomorrow’s meeting said: “The civic panel is asked to consider: authorising a visit by the provost to Dunedin, Florida; approving allocation of up to £3000 from the civic budget for the purposes of this visit.”
Detailing the costs included in the sum, the report added: “The council would require to meet the cost of the flight to Florida. At the time of writing this report the flight from Edinburgh to London and then London to Florida is estimated to be around £1700.
“Due to flight times, it is likely that overnight accommodation would be required in London and this is forecast to cost around £200.”
The report also asked councillors to take into account costs of around £2000 involved in then inviting the mayor of Dunedin to visit Stirling in a future year, likely to be 2025, although this sum would come from a future financial year’s budget.
Dunedin’s mayor last visited Stirling in 2019 when former Stirling provost Colin O’Brien, who visited Dunedin on Stirling’s behalf in 2005, said: “This has been an enduring partnership, largely to Stirling’s benefit judging by the number of visitors who deliberately include a visit here to see their ‘sister city’. The tourist spend will be significant.”
A Stirling Council spokesperson said yesterday: “An invite has been extended by the mayor of Dunedin and, as a matter of process, the civic panel is required to make a decision in respect of this matter.
“It would be inappropriate to comment further before Thursday’s meeting.”
