A by-election will be held next month to replace disgraced councillor Paul Mack, the Express can reveal.
The former Paisley and South East councillor had his Standards Commission appeal against his 16-month ban thrown out last week and was ordered to cough up the fees for the appeal.
Now, in an email seen by the Paisley Daily Express, Renfrewshire Council has set the date of Tuesday, December 14 to hold the by-election to replace him.
The email, sent by chief executive Sandra Black, describes the move to hold the election on a Tuesday as “unusual” as electoral events traditionally take place on a Thursday.
The email reads: “This decision has taken into account a range of factors and consideration was given to holding the by-election in January 2022.
“However, the impact of the festive period on the election timetable for any by-election in January made a January date impractical.
“Electoral events traditionally take place on Thursdays so holding a by-election on a Tuesday is unusual.
“However, there are no legal restrictions to prevent the by-election taking place on a Tuesday.”
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Councillors Eddie Devine, who is the Labour group leader, and the SNP's Marie McGurk both currently represent Paisley and South East Ward.
Renfrewshire Council has not released any further information on the by-election.
Controversial politician Mack had been a councillor in Renfrewshire for more than 25 years before being banned for his “relentless” hate campaign directed towards fellow ward councillor Eddie Devine and Alistair Mackay.
The Standards Commission had previously banned Mack after he made wholly unfounded claims that Councillor Devine had influenced council officers into allocating his daughter a house.
The allocation was reviewed by Renfrewshire Council’s chief auditor and then Audit Scotland, which concluded that the council property was appropriately let and that there was no influence, or opportunity for influence.
In one email he described Councillor Devine as “white supremacist” and in another he said Councillor Mackay was having “cocktail hour in the piano nobile at The Savoy, quaffing a burra peg and slapping orphans, thinking you’re defying Hitler.”
The Express revealed last week that Mack’s appeal, which stated his ban was “excessive”, had been quashed.
The report said: “The sentence cannot be said to be excessive, unfair, unreasonable or disproportionate.”
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