The SNP is urging Labour to back its proposals for a minority administration in East Renfrewshire, as both parties bid for control of the council.
Despite the SNP being the largest single party, Labour intends to run East Renfrewshire Council as a minority administration with support from two independent councillors, Danny Devlin and David Macdonald. That move would end a coalition with the SNP, and Cllr Devlin, which has controlled the local authority during the past two terms.
East Renfrewshire’s SNP group wants to form a “progressive alliance to lock the Tories out of power” and has said Labour should "rule out any backroom deal" with the Conservatives.
Labour's Cllr Owen O’Donnell, who would be the new council leader under his group’s plan, said he doesn’t believe the Conservatives will support either proposal. He said the Labour group will put forward its plan and it is “up to other parties whether they support that or not”.
“We hope that the SNP will not side with the Tories to bring a Labour administration down,” he added.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has said his party won’t enter coalitions with the SNP or Conservatives, but the SNP is calling on the local Labour group and Cllr Devlin to back an SNP-led administration when councillors meet on Wednesday.
SNP group leader, Cllr Tony Buchanan, said: “It’s disappointing that Anas Sarwar and Jackie Baillie are ignoring local democracy and would obviously prefer to work hand in glove with the Tories, even if local Labour councillors think differently.
“We urge East Renfrewshire Labour to do the right thing, rule out any backroom deal with the Tories and work with us to continue delivering for East Renfrewshire.”
Cllr O’Donnell said last week that it had been a “very difficult” decision to end Labour’s partnership with the SNP as the two groups had worked “very well” together on local issues. However, he added the group was “respectful” of Scottish Labour’s decision and would be “complying with that to the letter”.
The SNP, which is committed to no deals with Conservatives in council chambers across Scotland, now has six councillors in East Renfrewshire while Labour and the Tories both have five. Cllr Devlin and Cllr Macdonald make up the 18-seat council.
Labour has set up minority administrations in Fife, Stirling and South Lanarkshire, making agreements with Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors to gain control.
Cllr Buchanan, the East Renfrewshire Council leader for the past five years, said: “Our proposals for an SNP-led minority administration reflect the wishes of the people, who voted for the SNP to be the largest party and voted overwhelmingly for parties other than the Tories in the election.
“We are making an open offer to Labour to support us in forming a progressive alliance to lock the Tories out of power. East Renfrewshire Labour has acknowledged that we worked well together before, and I am open to options that allow our two parties to do so again.”
East Renfrewshire Conservatives have not responded to a request for comment.
