A BARRHEAD councillor has vowed to play no part in a decision that could pave the way for hundreds of new homes at the old Braidbar Quarry.

East Renfrewshire Council has agreed to enter into talks with Advance Construction Scotland to explore remediating the Giffnock site.

However, Deputy Provost Betty Cunningham has said she will not be involved in any future discussions, as she has links to the company.

Councillor Cunningham, who represents Barrhead, Liboside and Uplawmoor for Labour, declared an “interest” in the matter when it was raised at a recent council meeting and left the chamber before it was discussed by her colleagues.

Under the Scottish Government’s code of conduct for councillors, elected members are expected to withdraw from a meeting after they have declared a relevant financial interest.

Cllr Cunningham told the meeting: “I will not be participating in that item. I have been friends with the family in the past.”

Later, she explained she had been helped in fundraising efforts for her charity by the wife and daughter of Advance boss Seamus Shields.

Cllr Cunningham runs the Betty Cunningham International Trust, which raises money for deprived children in Malawi.

The last two dinner dances to raise money for the charity had been supported by the Shields family, she said.

Cllr Cunningham added: “They sell tables and I sell tables.”

Of her declaration of interest, she said: “I decided there was no way I was going to get involved in this.

“It’s a couple of years since I had any dealings with them.”

Last week, the Barrhead News told how Advance had been given a final warning by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) in 2012 after it illegally dumped thousands of tonnes of waste.

The company had been caught using a site in Wishaw to dump rubbish two years earlier.

East Renfrewshire Council leader Tony Buchanan said remediation of the Braidbar site remains a priority, with options such as new housing to be investigated.

Councillors have also agreed to spend £120,000 on fencing around the quarry following reports that youths had been breaking in.

A spokesperson for Advance Construction said: “Our technical expertise is unrivalled when it comes to complex remediation work. With over two decades of experience in the industry and considerable knowledge of this site, our highly-skilled team are well placed to carry out this preliminary work.”