⚖️ HIGGINS v STANDARDS COMMISSION JUDGMENT: SUCCESS Today is an historical day. The Court of Session has ruled that the Standards Commission acted “outwith its lawful powers” when it refused to admit seven key documents I wanted to rely on in my defence. Lord Sandison also identified “an apparent lack of internal logic” in aspects of the Commission’s reasoning. I did not go into politics expecting to spend my time in the Court of Session. I became a councillor because I wanted to represent people, protect public services and speak up when decisions made in powerful institutions have real consequences for ordinary families. And that is where this story actually began: with teachers and Glasgow’s children. Before I was a councillor, I was a teacher. I know what happens when schools lose staff. It is not a just a figure on a spreadsheet. It means less time for the child who needs extra help, more pressure on staff already giving everything they have, and fewer opportunities to intervene before a young person starts to fall behind. So when serious questions arose about proposed cuts to teacher numbers and how those proposals had been presented to councillors and the public, I spoke out. That is not something I apologise for. Councillors are not elected simply to sit quietly, accept what we are told and move on. We are elected to ask questions, scrutinise decisions and stand up for the communities that put their trust in us - particularly when doing so is uncomfortable. When I subsequently faced Standards proceedings over what I had said, I believed something equally basic: if I was going to be judged, I should be allowed to put the relevant evidence before those judging me. The Standards Commission refused to admit a number of those documents. I challenged that decision. And today, the Court has ruled that seven of those refusals were outside the Commission’s lawful powers. I am pleased with that outcome, but I am also very conscious that this judgment matters beyond me. It deals with much bigger questions about fair hearings, relevant evidence, access to justice and the ability of courts to intervene when someone says a regulatory or disciplinary process is itself unfair. Those principles do not belong to one councillor, one political party or even one Standards Commission case. They matter wherever institutions are given the power to investigate, discipline or sanction people. If public bodies have the power to hold others accountable, it is right that their own decisions can also be tested against the law. There are people without whom I would never have reached today. Paul McManus stepped forward when the financial reality of taking a case like this to the Court of Session could very easily have stopped me in my tracks. Paul did more than say, “I support you.” He made it possible for me to keep going and have these questions properly tested in court. There is something deeply human about somebody seeing another person facing a fight they could not realistically fund alone and deciding simply: I’m going to help. Paul, I will never forget that. Thank you. I am enormously grateful too to Professor Peter Watson, Michael McKitrick and everyone at PBW Law, who have worked tirelessly on my behalf, and to Jack Irvine for his advice, encouragement and steadfast support throughout. Before Lord Sandison, Dan Byrne KC assisted by Ross Cameron, Advocate, advanced my case with exceptional skill and clarity. Watching people of that calibre argue the principles at the heart of my case was something I will remember for the rest of my life. And then there are all the people who will never appear in a judgment or press release. The messages. The phone calls. The quiet “keep going”. The person checking in at exactly the moment it was needed. Support has come from across public and political life, and I have been genuinely humbled by it. The underlying Standards Commission proceedings remain ongoing. Today’s judgment does not decide the merits of the original complaint, and I will continue to respect that process. But it does mean that important evidence can now be heard. And after everything that has happened, I come back to the same reason I spoke up in the first place. I was elected to represent a community. I was elected to ask questions. And when decisions affect teachers, children and families, I believe those questions are worth asking - even when asking them comes at a cost. Public service can never be reduced to keeping your head down. It should mean remembering who sent you there, and having the courage to speak for them. Today was an important day. Thank you to everyone who helped me get here - I really could not have achieved this euthoit you. Sincerely Cllr Fiona Higgins