Comhairle Leader demands respect for staff amid investigation

In a letter to all councillors, seen by the Gazette, Mr MacKay refers to "some significant concerns regarding some member-officer behaviours". He says that the chief executive, Malcolm Burr, has asked the HR (human resources) department to investigate.

Mr MacKay writes: "As Leader, I have always considered it my duty to support our employees to go about their work in a positive, supportive and respectful environment.

"I am disappointed to hear that some employees are, for example, being subjected to consistent questioning of their professionalism, having their integrity questioned and having to spend disproportionate amounts of time answering repeated questions - even more so in these challenging times when they are all doing their very best to deliver services".