North Ayrshire’s Tory leader will be asked to explain a £100,000 donation they received which wasn’t properly registered.

A motion was raised by SNP councillors last week requesting Chief Executive Craig Hatton write to group leader Cllr Tom Marshall demanding a statement into the £100,000 unregistered donation from the Irvine Unionist Club.

This is after the Electoral Commission fined the trust £400 for “failure to provide notification of gifts to a political party exceeding £25,000” back in September.

SNP Cllr McTiernan, who proposed the motion, said: “I would think it is relevant to North Ayrshire Council because [after the donation] there are now seven Tory elected members.

“The Irvine Unionist Club has not explained where they received the £100,000. The leader of the Conservative group should make that clear.”

Irvine West Tory Cllr Scott Gallacher said he understood the money came from a trust after the sale of property in Irvine high street.

He added: “I don’t know what the SNP are looking for here – like Pablo Escobar’s going to be funding us.”

With most Labour councillors abstaining, the motion for a statement to be made at the next council meeting passed with 10 in favour and eight against.