A HIGH-PROFILE SNP councillor facing a watchdogs' probe on the eve of the local elections has announced she is quitting frontline politics.

Rosa Zambonini cited family responsibilities and sustained personal attacks for her decision not to seek re-election in May.

In a lengthy statement, the North Lanarkshire councillor referenced a "smear campaign" by Labour members on the authority and instances of sexism and misogyny for her decision.

She also said she had been accused of exploiting the decision by her 13-year-old son to come out as transgender for her own career.

Ms Zambonini is facing a Standards Commission hearing next month into claims she failed to disclose that she worked for a senior MSP in her declaration of interests.

SNP sources had expressed surprise said the Wishaw councillor had failed to inform party headquarters of the hearing ahead of selections for the May 4 poll.

However, Ms Zambonini made only a passing reference to the issue, insisting she could not discuss it as it would still be going ahead. But she added: "Busy mum forgets to do something eh? Big news!"

Posting on her Facebook page that it was "with the heaviest of hearts" that she would not be seeking re-election, she said she would be putting her family ahead of frontline politics.

She said: "We have a long way to go when it comes to being a woman in politics. When I tried to take on major issues I was told there was a smear campaign put out by the Labour Party councillors based mostly around the fact I'm a woman.

"Stories which I would not share because they were clever and fly with it, and they would cause too much upset to my family.

"Independent councillors leaked information and tried to belittle me using the council's own emails systems. The media took who I was as a young woman, and made a joke of my looks and selfies. The comments made often about me weren't just by other men, but by women too.

"When wee Charlie came out and supported TIE she did it with the best of intentions, and yet that too became a load of media drama. It got word out, but then came the accusations of it being planned by me for my career. Imagine someone who doesn't know you, verbalising that you would do such a thing for the sake of notoriety?"

Ms Zambonini, who is expected to continue working in the office of MSP James Dornan, also made reference to an unnamed man "who caused me nothing but stress, anxiety and fear, someone who would use anything to try and scare me off".

One SNP source said: "I doubt this has much to do with the Standards hearing. There's deep-rooted issues there and I wouldn't be surprised if some of Rosa's hassles came from within our own team. This isn't for her. She's probably better off out of it."

An SNP spokeswoman said: “Rosa is a very able councillor and she’ll be missed. Her comments on some of the attitudes she encountered demonstrate the importance of increasing female representation in council chambers.”