A “BACKROOM deal” between the Tories and Labour to lock the SNP out of power on a Scottish council has not come to pass, according to reports.
Instead, North Lanarkshire looks set for its first SNP administration after Labour reportedly decided not to try to form an administration at the full-council meeting on Thursday.
The local elections on May 5 saw the SNP returned as the largest party with 36 seats. Labour had 32 and the Tories five, meaning a coalition between the two could have edged out the SNP.
However, the Green, the British Unionist Party, and independents’ reported votes would have split the 77-seat authority down the middle (with one abstention) leaving the fate of the council to the cut of a deck of cards – as was done in Moray in December.
Before the local elections, North Lanarkshire had been run by a Labour minority administration which leant on Tory votes.
Instead, the SNP are now confident that their group leader, Jordan Linden, will become council leader.
Linden told The Herald: "The SNP is set to lead North Lanarkshire for the first time. We will have the first ever SNP provost, the first SNP leader. I will be the youngest leader of North Lanarkshire Council and the first LGBT leader of the council. Big changes.
"We will take things day by day, and genuinely seek to collaborate right across the board, with the exception of the Tories and the BUP. The offer we made to Labour to work together was not just for the administration but to recognise the political balance of the council."
SNP taking power from Labour in North Lanarkshire comes after Labour took power from the SNP in South Lanarkshire.
The Unionists there were accused of brokering a “dirty deal” to allow Labour to take control of the council, despite the SNP being the largest group.
