A COUNCILLOR in the Western Isles has been exposed as the worst-offending local politician in Scotland for being in council tax arrears.
Former taxi driver Iain Archie MacNeil , who represents Barra, Vatersay, Eriskay and South Uist, is £14,446 in debt to his own local authority, Western Isles Council.
A total of 30 councillors across the country have been found to be in arrears, raising concerns over probity and standards in office.
Mr MacNeil, 52, who is refusing to step down, rose to prominence in the local area as chair of the Eochdar Community Council and their campaign to encourage the council to undertake more extensive re-development work at the South Ford Causeway, where a family of five died in the 2005 winter storms.
Mr MacNeil apologised to constituents and fellow councillors for allowing the arrears to build up, blaming it on a set of 'unfortunate circumstances' he and his family had faced.
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