Council / Former convener’s service highlighted in parliament motion
LEADER of the Scottish Conservatives Douglas Ross has offered his congratulations to former Shetland Islands Council Malcolm Bell for his “dedicated service to his local community”.
The opposition leader in the Scottish Parliament, who is an MSP for the Highlands and Islands, has raised a motion and has so far been joined by 26 fellow MSPs in marking Bell’s retirement and wishing him well for the future.
Bell said he felt “really humbled” by the gesture.
Retiring from the police after 30 years of service, Bell was elected in 2012 and again in 2017 to represent Lerwick North and Bressay as an independent member on Shetland Islands Council.
During the last ten years he also was the civic leader of the SIC, as well as serving as an honorary sheriff and non-executive director of the NHS Shetland board.
He decided not to stand in May’s council election.
The motion reads that the “Parliament congratulates outgoing councillor Malcolm Bell on his retirement (…); thanks Malcolm for his dedicated services to his local community and Shetland Islands Council and wishes him well for the future”.
So far, the motion has been signed, among others, by Donald Cameron (Con), Jamie Halcro Johnston (Con), Emma Roddick (SNP) and Beatrice Wishart (Lib Dem).
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