Moves by the SNP, now Stirling Council’s largest political group, to take over the administration of the authority have failed, leaving four Labour councillors at the helm.
Labour councillor Gerry McGarvey was appointed as the council’s new leader after being voted in by 12 votes to 11 at a special meeting of the council at Old Viewforth last Thursday.
However, the SNP have slammed his appointment, citing his sanction for disrespectful behaviour handed down last year.
SNP councillor Jim Thomson described Labour’s ability to run the council with just four councillors as an “impossibility” and accused them of not admitting to being in a “coalition” with the Conservatives.
The recent Bannockburn ward by-election boosted the number of SNP councillors to nine, making them the largest group.
Labour – the minority administration thanks to backing from the eight Conservatives – now has only four. There is also one Green and one independent.
Councillor Thomson said the SNP had been willing to enter into a coalition with the Labour group to provide “stability going forward” but hadn’t been told it was a “no-goer”.
He said their next option was to offer their services as a minority administration as the largest party in the council – with SNP councillor Susan McGill as leader.
SNP councillor Gerry McLaughlan described his group as “angry”, adding: “Councillor Danny Gibson (Labour), a councillor we said wasn’t fit to represent us outside this council because of proven accusations of bullying, we are now going to make a bailie. It’s a travesty what they are doing to the community of Stirling.”
The SNP’s Cllr Gene Maxwell said: “We have a group here who secured 11 per cent in two byelections running, of a very small turnout and who have been thumped into fourth place by Reform, ending up with four Labour councillors out of 23. It’s a democratic travesty. A farce. A joke.”
Green councillor Alasdair Tollemache said he had approached the issue in a “rational” rather than political way and the SNP were “the majority and should be given the opportunity to see what they can do”.
Bannockburn ward independent councillor Alasdair Macpherson said he would support the SNP’s nomination of Cllr McGill as leader, adding: “You can’t kid the people in the Bannockburn ward. They have rejected Labour.
“But this is a numbers game and we’ve just got to accept that. The SNP, unfortunately for them, just need to suck it up.”
Conservative councillor Martin Earl said there had been examples in the past, including for the Conservatives, when the single largest party had not been the administration, but he appreciated why Cllr McGill had been put forward as leader by the SNP.
He added, however, that while it was the SNP’s right to decide not to engage in a number of non-political workings of the council, such as licensing and planning, he felt it was “the wrong decision”.
“Whatever the make up of this council, whoever sits in the role of leader, we have all been elected to carry out these functions to the best of our ability.”
SNP councillor Rosemary Fraser said her group would be happy to put themselves forward for such committees if both Labour and the Conservatives were working in an open coalition but that the SNP was not even being deemed the formal opposition.
She added: “In addition, the fact you are now going to elect a leader who was only last year suspended for a month is a bit of a joke in itself.”
SNP councillor Susan McGill said: “To expect four councillors to run the council…is just a joke, the amount of work to be done. I don’t think you are capable of doing that to be quite honest.”
Councillor McGarvey told the chamber, however: “The age of conspiracy is alive and well”, adding that, earlier in the week he had been in talks with the SNP group’s leadership to discuss how they could foster better collaboration and cooperation – only for that to be undermined by Cllr McLaughlan publishing criticism of the administration on social media before the discussions were concluded.
Conservative Group leader Cllr Neil Benny said; “For the last two years SNP and Labour councillors refused to support Conservative leadership of the council, despite our being the largest party.
“Rather than adopt the playground politics approach of the SNP we remained positive and constructive and will always work with others to serve the taxpayer.
“I look forward to working with Cllr McGarvey to make the council efficient and ensure the services we receive are the best they can be.”
Cllr McGarvey, who was elected to the Forth and Endrick Ward in 2022, steps up from depute leader to take over the role that was previously held by Cllr Margaret Brisley, who sadly died last October.
Cllr McGarvey said: “It’s a privilege and an honour to be appointed as Leader of Stirling Council.
“I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to my predecessors, Margaret and Chris Kane, for their guidance and support since I was elected as a councillor, and I’m determined to build on the great work done before me.
“I am committed to working collaboratively with my fellow councillors and build consensus so that we make decisions that improve the lives of the people in our wonderful and diverse communities.”
In August last year, Cllr McGarvey appeared before a Standards Commission for Scotland hearing where he was accused of engaging in displaying disrespect towards Forth and Endrick SNP councillor Rosemary Fraser during a recess at a budget-setting meeting in March 2023.
Cllr McGarvey was banned from attending the full council meeting last October as part of the sanctions handed down by the Commission.
Cllr Jen Preston has been appointed as new depute leader. Cllr David Wilson was appointed as Convener of Community Wellbeing and Housing Committee and Cllr Danny Gibson to the Licensing Board and as Bailie.