A HELENSBURGH councillor has been replaced on the Argyll and Bute harbour board – and claims she has not been given an official explanation.

Councillor Fiona Howard (Labour, Helensburgh Central) was replaced on the board by Councillor Andrew Kain (Independent, Oban South and the Isles) during a recent meeting.

At the last gathering of the harbour board two weeks previously, Cllr Howard voted in favour of a motion by Councillor Andrew Vennard (Conservative, Oban North and Lorn).

The motion had called for council officers to be asked to prepare reports on annual income and expenditure for each of the eight harbours where the council was statutory authority.

An amendment by the board’s chair, Councillor Ross Moreland (Liberal Democrat, Dunoon), said that council officers should bring a report to a future meeting setting out arrangements for financial reporting.

A roll call vote resulted in a tie of four votes each, being won by the amendment on Cllr Moreland’s casting vote.

The decision to replace Cllr Howard was one of several on political management arrangements made at a meeting of the full council on Thursday, September 26.

It leaves Councillor Maurice Corry (Conservative, Lomond North) as the only Helensburgh and Lomond councillor among the eight on the harbour board.

Councillor Howard said: “I voted, at the last harbour board, for a motion which was proposed by an opposition councillor and it did not go down well.

“I subsequently said that I appreciated that the chair and vice-chair may no longer be happy to have me on the board and would stand down if they wished but would prefer not to.

“I was never actually told what the reason actually was. You would have to ask them that.”

Cllr Moreland has been contacted for comment.

Cllr Kain will also join the Argyll and Bute licensing board, while Councillor Anne Horn (SNP, Kintyre and the Islands), who won a by-election in July, will join the community services committee.