COUNCIL chiefs planned to replace a slavery-linked Gourock coat of arms with another emblem 'paying homage' to people who profited from the trade.

The revelation came at a meeting of Inverclyde's governing policy and resources executive sub-committee when top legal adviser Gerard Malone confirmed the intention.

Mr Malone said that council officers would remove the current offending plaque from Gourock Pavilion without public consultation and erect another version of the emblem.

He told the meeting: "We will be making provision for the replacement of that coat of arms unless otherwise instructed."

The committee was told that the current coat of arms is an amalgamation of the crests of the Darroch and Shaw-Stewart families and contains an image of a black man holding a dagger.

Mr Malone said: "On the basis of the concerns about the imagery on that crest we are dealing with a suitable replacement."

But his stated intention to use the 1892-1954 Gourock Burgh emblem — proposed by Councillor Ronnie Ahlfeld — was strongly opposed by SNP council group leader Chris McEleny.

Councillor McEleny said: "You are proposing just to put up a motto in our town that pays homage to the Shaw-Stewarts and the Darrochs, and arguably the latter were involved in the slave trade and, almost certainly, the former were involved.

"We are seeing people elsewhere taking issue with statues of Colston and Peel and we are proposing putting up a plaque which honours someone who was fundamentally 100 per cent a slave trader, and another family who have dubious connections to the trade as well.

"I think there's a broader piece of work needed other than just taking down a plaque because you don't like the look of it and replacing it with one that fundamentally, in terms of social injustice, just honours them in another version."

Councillor Ahlfeld said: "I've no issue with that whatsoever, I'm just making a suggestion.

"I'm not saying let's use the previous version, I'm saying let's consider it."

The committee, on the recommendation of council leader Stephen McCabe, resolved to consult with the community on the matter.

The debate was sparked during a wider discussion about Inverclyde's links to the slave trade, with members agreeing to explore ways in which this can be properly acknowledged and marked.

But streets with names considered by people to have slavery connotations will not be given new titles.

Councillor McCabe said: "It is more about acknowledging the role our community played in the slave trade and aspects related to that, and educating our population.

"It's also about thinking about potential ways in which we could atone for that in some way.

"It's a dark part of our history, an area that does need light shone upon it.

"I think the time is long overdue that we looked at it.

"I'm certainly not talking about renaming streets and taking down statues."

Councillor McEleny said: "We should be broadly aiming for an educational experience, and some sort of monument so that there is a fixed asset, and I think there's got to be an ongoing experience perhaps utilising the McLean Museum.

"We need to challenge ourselves to confront uncomfortable truths."

Councillor McEleny added: "I don't agree with changing the names of streets because it's Greenock and Inverclyde's history, for better or worse."

A report on options is to be brought before a future meeting of the committee.