THE make-up of administrations in all but one of Scotland’s 32 local authorities has now been completed with Clackmannanshire Council yesterday voting in a minority SNP administration.
Only Edinburgh, the country’s second largest council, has still to acquire an administration. The largest group, the SNP, is still hoping to form a coalition with Labour to run the city as a Capital Coalition between the two parties as they did for the last five years. It can be revealed that in two local authorities at least, questions are to be asked about what arrangements, if any, were made between Labour and Conservatives prior to last week’s council meetings.
In Midlothian, the Labour group was installed as a minority administration with the assistance of Conservative votes. Labour won seven seats against the SNP’s six and the Tories’ five, but The National can reveal that the Labour group met the Conservative group prior to the council meeting – both groups deny there is a coalition.
In West Lothian, where the SNP is the largest party with 13 seats, Labour has formed a minority administration with 12. Again the Conservative group voted with Labour, and the Tories have taken the Provostship and two committee chairs, the latter two voted for by Labour councillors.
The National understands that Freedom of Information requests are to be made to discover if any formal arrangements were made between Labour and Conservatives on both Lothians councils.
The outcome could be damning as Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale instantly suspended nine Labour councillors in Aberdeen when they defied party instructions not to form a coalition with the Conservatives.
Speaking at the time, Dugdale said: “Labour cannot do any deal with another party if it would result in further austerity being imposed on local communities. “Tory austerity risks hurting so many families in Aberdeen, and the Labour party simply will not stand for that.”
Neither the Labour or Conservative leader on West Lothian council had responded to The National’s questions as we went to press last night.
Midlothian Council leader Derek Milligan stated: “The Labour group have not entered into any arrangement with the Conservative group prior to the council meeting last week, or since.”
The SNP has formed a minority administration at Clackmannanshire Council, the SNP won eight of the council’s 18 seats in the election, with Labour and the Conservatives winning five each.
Meeting yesterday morning at the council headquarters at Kilncraigs in Alloa, the council voted in its new SNP leadership.
Les Sharp was appointed council leader, with Archie Drummond as deputy leader, and Tina Murphy was elected Provost with Donald Balsillie as her depute.
Apart from Edinburgh, all the horse trading since last month’s elections is now over. The SNP has formed minority administrations in Clackmannanshire, East Dunbartonshire, Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Falkirk, South Lanarkshire and East Ayrshire.
There are five SNP-Labour coalitions or arrangements – Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, Fife, South Ayrshire, and Stirling.
In addition, the SNP group has joined with a single independent councillor to take control in both the City of Dundee and West Dunbartonshire Councils.
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