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John Ross Scott | |
|---|---|
| Councillor for Kirkwall East Orkney Islands Council | |
| Assumed office 5 May 2017 | |
| Chair of NHS Orkney | |
| In office 2007–2015 | |
| Leader of Scottish Borders Council | |
| In office 2002–2003 | |
| Personal details | |
| Party | Independent |
Other party | Scottish Greens Scottish National Party Scottish Liberal Democrats |
| Occupation | Journalist, politician |
John Ross Scott is a Scottish journalist and politician. A former newspaper editor, he was leader of Scottish Borders Council and chair of NHS Orkney, and has represented Kirkwall East on Orkney Islands Council since 2017.[1][2][3]
Journalism
[edit]Scott worked as a journalist in the Scottish Borders, including for the Hawick Express, Hawick News and The Southern Reporter. He later edited the Hawick News and Orkney Today.[1] In 2012, he received an award from the Scottish Parliament for his contribution to journalism.[4]
Political and public career
[edit]Scott was a councillor in the Scottish Borders for 23 years. He was leader of Scottish Borders Council from February 2002 to May 2003, and was the Scottish Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson before the 1999 Scottish Parliament election.[5] Scottish Borders Council lists Scott as council leader in 2002.[3]
In 2007, Scott was appointed chair of NHS Orkney.[1] He held the role until 2015.[2] In 2014, while chair of NHS Orkney, Scott apologised after comments he made in support of Scottish independence were criticised by colleagues. NHS Orkney said Scott had expressed a personal view and was not speaking on behalf of the board.[6]
Scott joined the SNP in 2014.[5] He was elected to Orkney Islands Council for Kirkwall East in 2017.[7] In March 2021, having previously sat as an independent councillor, he joined the Scottish Greens.[8]
At the 2022 Scottish local elections, Scott was re-elected for Kirkwall East as a Scottish Green candidate, receiving 476 first-preference votes and being elected at the first stage.[9] After the election, Scott and Kristopher Leask were the only party-affiliated councillors on Orkney Islands Council.[10]
In November 2024, the Scottish Daily Express reported that Scott had been expelled from the Scottish Greens following comments he made on social media about Hamas, Hezbollah and the Israel–Hamas war. Scott said he intended to appeal the decision and criticised the party's disciplinary process. The Scottish Greens declined to comment.[11]
Being Heard reports
[edit]In 2018, Scott co-authored Being Heard: Helping To Create The Next Generation of Civic Leaders in Scotland, a report with Kristopher Leask on young people's engagement with decision-makers in Scotland's 32 councils.[12] In 2020, Scott and Leask published Being Heard: One Year On, a follow-up report on young people's participation in local government decision-making.[13]
Standards Commission case
[edit]In January 2021, the Standards Commission for Scotland found that Scott had breached the Councillors' Code of Conduct after disclosing confidential information from private Orkney Islands Council briefings during the COVID-19 pandemic. The case included Facebook posts about the council's pandemic response and the death of councillor Kevin Woodbridge before all close family members had been informed.[5] Scott was suspended from attending meetings of the full council for three months.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "New health service role for editor". HoldTheFrontPage. 19 June 2007. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
- ^ a b "John Ross Scott to Contest Kirkwall East for the Orkney Greens". The Orkney News. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
- ^ a b "History of the Makeup of Council Since Regionalisation". Scottish Borders Council. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
- ^ "Accolade for former Scottish weekly editor". HoldTheFrontPage. 10 January 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
- ^ a b c Bol, David (19 January 2021). "Former council leader publicised death before family told". The Herald. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
- ^ "NHS Orkney chairman "sorry" for upsetting colleagues". The Orcadian. 4 September 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
- ^ "Kirkwall East councillors announced". The Orcadian. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
- ^ "Councillor John Ross Scott joins Scottish Greens". The Orcadian. 22 March 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
- ^ "Kirkwall East - Ward 1". Orkney Islands Council. 5 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
- ^ Stewart, Andrew (22 July 2022). "The place of the Green Party in Orkney – one term into the new council". The Press and Journal. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
- ^ Walker, David (20 November 2024). "Scottish Greens expel councillor after he claimed Hamas should be classed as terrorist group". Scottish Daily Express. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
- ^ "OIC councillor helping to create 'next generation of civic leaders'". The Orcadian. 29 November 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
- ^ Grahame, Fiona (24 June 2020). "Young Orcadians Not 'Being Heard'". The Orkney News. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
- ^ "Orkney Islands Councillor suspended for disclosing confidential information" (PDF). Standards Commission for Scotland. 25 January 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2026.