Stirling Council has appointed a new leader.
Labour councillor Gerry McGarvey was yesterday (Thursday) appointed as Stirling Council’s new leader after being voted in by 12 votes to 11 at a special meeting of the council at Old Viewforth.
Cllr McGarvey steps up from depute leader to take over the role that was previously held by Cllr Margaret Brisley, who sadly died last October.
Cllr Jen Preston has been appointed as new depute leader.
Forth and Endrick ward member Cllr McGarvey was first elected to the council in May 2022.
As well as Depute Leader, he has held a variety of positions at the council including Convener of the Community, Housing and Wellbeing Committee and Baillie.
On his appointment, 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.
“That will start this month when we will have to work together to set a balanced budget that meets the needs of our residents against a hugely challenging financial landscape for local government.
“While there are clearly further challenges ahead for Stirling and other local authorities, we march forward with optimism and ambition.
“We are approaching the finale of Stirling’s 900th anniversary celebrations, which are going to be fantastic and an opportunity to show how we are delivering a better future for all.
“Major transformative projects such as the redevelopment of Forthside and the creation of Stirling Studios – which will be among the biggest film studio campuses in Scotland – are among the ways we are doing this.
“As Leader, I look forward to working closely with our communities and partners to unleash our full potential, increase investment and ensure Stirling is an attractive place to live, work, learn and create.”
In August last year, Cllr McGarvey was barred from attending one council meeting by the standards watchdog after he was ruled to have behaved disrespectfully towards a fellow councillor during a fiery budget debate the prior year.
Cllr McGarvey, appeared before the Standards Commission for Scotland hearing where he was accused of engaging in a course of action in which he displayed 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 Standards Commission for Scotland.
In addition to Cllr McGarvey’s appointment as leader, he was also named as Convener of the Finance, Economy and Corporate Support Committee and Vice Convener of the Children and Young People Committee.
Cllr David Wilson was appointed as Convener of Community Wellbeing and Housing Committee and Cllr Danny Gibson to the Licencing Board and as Baillie.