Inverness South Councillor Andrew Sinclair is set to leave the Conservatives to join the Highland Alliance, he is the third member to depart since the 2022 election
The Conservative Group in Highland Council has lost yet another member as Inverness South Councillor Andrew Sinclair is set to join the Highland Alliance group.
The move means the Tories now have just seven members having lost former leader Andrew Jarvie in December 2022 and Patrick Logue in February this year.
The group does not appear to have recovered from the loss of Cllr Jarvie who was seen as the driving force behind their efforts in the chamber.
There have been three leaders or co-leaders since his departure: Struan Mackie stepped-in, and he was followed by Helen Crawford and then Ruraidh Stewart.
It is understood that the issues behind the departures vary from bitter internal disagreements to disaffection with the current state of the party as a whole.
What that means politically is that the party has gone from 10 members to just seven with Cllr Sinclair’s new group – which also includes Cllr Jarvie – also having seven.
Co-leader of the Highland Alliance, Cllr Duncan Macpherson welcomed the new addition by suggesting his group’s ethos was attracting new members.
He said: “I am delighted to welcome Cllr. Andrew Sinclair to the Highland Alliance Group, he hails from Wick and brings seven years of council experience, having served in Wick and East Caithness for five years since 2017, and a further two years in the Inverness South Ward following his election in 2022.
“When Cllr. Andrew Sinclair enquired about joining the Independent Group of Highland Alliance members, I explained our ethos and principles as described by one of our senior members Cllr. Jim McGillivray of East Sutherland and Edderton.
“Cllr. McGillivray’s analogy was that of the characteristics of the Clan Chattan Association, to explain how the Highland Alliance works for its Independent councillors and Cllr. Andrew Sinclair was very comfortable with that explanation.
“It gives individual members of our Highland Alliance Group the autonomy of keeping their individual identity (like the Clan Chattan members, with their unique tartan, Clan crest and Coat of Arms), within the Highland Alliance Group.
“These are similar principles to that of the Clan Chattan Association made up with its dozen different Highland Clans, yet all coming together to stand up for their local citizens.
“This way these ‘independent’ councillors can best represent their constituents in the Highland Council chamber, by having places on the strategic committees and enabling them to participate fully in debates and in the important decision making process, voting with their conscience and not being whipped to vote for something they may perhaps fundamentally disagree with, as happens in other political groups.”
The development is yet to be formally confirmed by Highland Council,
