Inverclyde Council SNP group call for anti-sectarian workshops

Provost McKenzie offered an ‘unreserved apology’ earlier this month for remarks he made in his Greenock Telegraph column about a 3,000-strong orange march which took place in Gourock.

However, members of Inverclyde Council’s SNP group have told the Telegraph they feel further action was needed to ‘heal’ community anger about the comments.

READ MORE: Inverclyde Provost condemned for 'stoking flames of sectarian hatred'

They have now written to the local authority’s chief executive Louise Long to ask that she helps arrange for anti-sectarianism sessions to be held.

(Image: George Munro)

Nationalist councillor James Daisley said the training would be delivered by national anti-sectarian charity Nil by Mouth at no cost to the local tax payer.

He added: “I think the Provost did publicly apologise, which is welcomed, but the point we’re trying to make is that we believe the public think that is not enough.

“Something needs to be done to repair trust and confidence and as a collective of politicians in Inverclyde Council we’re willing to do that to make it clear that we’re not willing to just brush this under the carpet.

“I’ve asked the chief executive to do something within the next three months and that gives all councillors and elected members a chance to make it a priority in their diaries and gives the council and Nil by Mouth a chance to organise a suitable date for everyone to attend.

“There are many people who are still asking us to try and bring a motion forward to try and get the provost to resign.

“I’m not saying that’s not appropriate, but what I am saying is I think as reasonable people this is a good starting point that would allow us to build a healing process to rebuild trust and confidence.”

Councillor McKenzie’s remarks included describing the ‘gallous swagger’ of those participating in the procession through Gourock and calling the event a ‘spectacle’.

(Image: Contributed)

Nil by Mouth told national media outlets at the time of the Provost’s column being published that his use of terms such as ‘Proddy’ and ‘Tim’ would not ease community tensions.

SNP councillor Sandra Reynolds, who is one of Gourock’s elected members, said there was still anger among the town’s residents about the column.

She added: “I’ve had lots of emails and contact and have spent ages on my phone at night replying to emails from residents and traders in ward five about this.

“On the letter, there are extreme views and I think somewhere in the middle we can find a way to do something positive about this.

“There is a responsibility for the local authority to find a way to heal those divisions which have, let’s face it, been caused by our civil leader.”

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Her SNP colleague, Pam Armstrong, said it was important for the council to take action that showed they were tackling the issue of sectarianism.

Senior SNP councillor John Crowther added that he felt councillors had to set a high standard and said that in instances where such standards had not been met remedial action had to be taken if necessary. 

In a statement to the Telegraph, Nil by Mouth director David Scott said: “We’ve a long-standing relationship with Inverclyde Council through both our schools programme and the ‘Beyond Religion & Belief’ workplace project, which has always been delivered free of charge.

“Most recently we presented to the council’s Modern Apprentices at the Beacon Arts Centre and participation and feedback from the group was excellent.

“We’d be only too happy to work with elected members in a similar fashion and again at no cost to council tax payers.

“The aim is never to tell people what they should think but to create an environment where the issue can be properly discussed and encourage those involved to consider what attitudes, language and actions are likely to cause tensions or make colleagues feel uncomfortable or unwelcome.

“We would offer to work with all elected members and provide an opportunity for honest discussion on how so attitudes can be challenged.”

When contacted by the Telegraph an Inverclyde Council spokesperson confirmed that Ms Long had responded to the SNP group’s letter.

They said: “While training opportunities are provided throughout the year for elected members, we are already in discussions with an external provider specifically about delivering Equalities, Diversity, and Inclusion training for members.

“However, we always welcome any ideas from elected members about training opportunities they feel would be beneficial and we would be happy to speak to representatives from Nil By Mouth to find out if there is anything they can provide to complement or enhance this training.

“A session has also been organised at the end of August with elected members which will shape the elected members development programme across the next cycle of Council meetings.”

Provost McKenzie said: "I have had personal discussions with the charity Nil by Mouth which I found to be very helpful and enlightening and would welcome any initiative put forward for consideration by the SNP or any other group within the Council.

"Inverclyde is becoming such a diverse community now and it is so important that we all go forward with an attitude of tolerance, respect, understanding and most of all kindness towards our neighbours as we endeavour to share and celebrate each other’s culture."