[1] He stood as a candidate in the 1992 United Kingdom general election for the Aberdeen North to raise environmental issues.
In 2006, Donald Trump bought the Menie estate in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and Ford found himself chair of the committee that would determine the planning application to create a highly contentious golf resort against the wishes of local residents on an area designated as a site of special scientific interest.
[3][4] In November 2006, Ford had the casting vote, which led to the committee rejecting plans for the Menie resort, however, the Scottish Government stepped in and the development proceeded.
[5] Ford spoke to BBC's Panorama television programme about the development, following this he received several letters from the council's chief executive.
[1] In 2011, Ford's account of the Trump affair Deciding the Fate of a Magical Wild Place was published in the Journal of Irish and Scottish Studies.