DOUGLAS Ross has been slammed by the SNP after it emerged that he missed a major Holyrood vote to referee a game of football.
The former Scottish Tory leader is recorded as “did not vote” for the final vote on Scotland’s Housing Bill on Tuesday night.
Instead of participating in the vote, he is listed as one of the assistant referees in a Scottish Championship match between Queen’s Park and Partick Thistle – which kicked off that evening at 19:45.
The SNP have said that this “speaks volumes”.
“In the summer, Douglas Ross said homelessness was one of the biggest issues facing Scotland – but it’s clearly not as important for him as Queen’s Park vs Partick Thistle,” SNP MSP George Adam told The National.
The Sun previously reported that Douglas Ross was one of the Tory MSPs who kicked up a fuss about party chiefs ordering Domino's pizzas rather than a more upmarket option during a mammoth Housing Bill debate the week before.
Referring to the incident, Adam added: “Douglas Ross should take a slice of the action here in Parliament and represent his constituents.”
The housing legislation – which passed by 89 votes to 28 on Tuesday night – will allow councils to implement rent control zones in their areas.
But the legislation will not cover build-to-let or mid-market-rent homes.
The bill would also place a duty on all public workers to report to the relevant authorities if they believe someone is at risk of being homeless – a provision dubbed “ask and act” by ministers.
The legislation also includes extra protections for tenants from damp and mould.
The Scottish Conservatives refused to back the bill, with housing spokeswoman Meghan Gallacher saying the rent control provisions would stymie housebuilding and ultimately exacerbate Scotland’s housing crisis.
Ross was one of three Scottish Tories not to vote – alongside Jackson Carlaw and Sandesh Gulhane.
The National previously revealed that Ross was paid more than £15,000 for his role as an assistant referee in the space of a year.
He appears to have scaled down his involvement of late, receiving just short of £1000 in match fees this year according to the Holyrood register of interests.
A Scottish Conservative spokesperson said: “Douglas took part in all three days of this bill's stage three consideration.
“If the SNP had brought forward plans that would truly have delivered the homes we need, then this bill would not have needed to take up so much Parliamentary time with hundreds of amendments submitted to try and sort their flawed legislation.”
