A SPECIAL ground floor video link is to be installed at Inverclyde’s Municipal Buildings — so that a councillor can take part in upstairs meetings.

The SNP’s Jim Grieve has been at the centre of controversy in recent years because he has attended very few Inverclyde Council meetings due to ill health.

The Inverclyde East Central councillor has difficulty walking and uses a wheelchair.

Over the past four years he has attended around six or seven meetings and held only a couple of surgeries, but still insists he can do his job.

But his weight problem now means it would be unsafe for him to attend meetings on the first floor of the Buildings.

He could not be evacuated quickly in a fire, when lifts would not be able to be used.

So the council plans to create a video link in a ground floor office that will enable him to take an active part in meetings.

Councillor Grieve welcomed the move today, and said he hoped it would mean he could participate in meetings regularly.

He said: “It was suggested that the council could move meetings to somewhere more convenient for me, but I don’t want them going to all that trouble.

“I was worried initially about the cost of putting in a video link just for me, but the council say it could also be used for other purposes.

“I haven’t asked about the cost, but I’m quite happy about the idea so long as the link can be used by others.”

Cllr Grieve said he has been in and out of hospital and is now unable to walk into the Municipal Buildings, and that the council’s evacuation chair is not big enough for him. He said it would need four men to carry him down the stairs in an emergency.

Cllr Grieve added: “I will go along with whatever makes it easier for me to attend meetings.”

He dismissed strong criticism of him on Twitter by former SNP councillor Chris Osborne, who has also slammed him in the past for not attending meetings.

Mr Osborne had tweeted: “Turn up every six months and you get to keep your position. The man has no shame, and it seems the group leader is not dealing with it. Because it is an elected councillor, he can sit on his backside and claim five years of salary.

“Shocking that this situation is not being dealt with. It looks so bad for council employees, who wouldn’t even get a year of absence.”

Cllr Grieve, who receives the basic councillor annual salary of £16,560, said he was not interested in what Mr Osborne had to say.

SNP group leader Chris McEleny today told the Telegraph that Cllr Grieve is ‘as frustrated as anyone’ that his health limits his ability to fully take part in his role. Cllr McEleny said: “Not long ago the council signed up to the ‘one in five’ campaign, which aims to make politics more accessible and inclusive to people with disabilities.

“We have supported Jim as best as we could so he can continue up to this point as a councillor. However, Jim knows the responsibilities he has, and we will always put what’s best for our constituents first.

A spokesman for Inverclyde Council confirmed they are using some existing video conferencing facilities to provide a solution.

He said: “This doesn’t incur a direct cost in buying in new equipment at the moment. If this were made a permanent arrangement and required buying in new equipment, then that would incur extra cost.

“There is some additional work in the Municipal Buildings to make sure doors are fully automated. While this would be of benefit to Councillor Grieve in accessing the technology to join in council meetings, it would also be of assistance in general to further improve disabled access to the meeting rooms.

“The overall cost of the work to date is expected to be around £5,000.”