A COUNCIL planning swingeing cuts to services has banned comments on its social media posts claiming they have been subject to “abuse”.
North Lanarkshire Council on Thursday found itself the subject of intense anger as plans were approved to close 39 libraries, leisure centres, pools and other sports and culture facilities.
Replies to previous Twitter/X posts show Labour councillors who voted for the cuts were called a “shower of absolute morons” and that the council was guilty of “utter ineptitude”.
Another Twitter/X user had responded to the council’s two most recent posts with a list of the councillors who had voted for the cuts, with the caption: “The [North] Lanarkshire councillors who voted to close 39 facilities. Remember their names.”
In a statement, North Lanarkshire Council announced it was banning people from commenting under its posts, saying they had been subject to “abuse”.
The council said: “Our social media house rules […] set out what we permit on our page.
“We don’t allow abusive comments, or comments of a party political nature. Following decisions taken about the review of community facilities, we understand that some people are upset or angry about the decisions taken.
“However, while people are entitled to express a view about council decisions, that does not entitle them to post abuse or political comments on our pages.
“For those reasons, we have temporarily suspended the ability to comment on our posts.”
Labour leader of North Lanarkshire Council Jim Logue (below, left) admitted councillors had faced an “unpalatable decision”.
He blamed cuts to local government funding and council tax freezes which have put council budgets across Scotland under intense strain.
Neil Gray and Anum Qaisar, who represent Airdrie and Shotts in the Scottish and UK parliaments, respectively, hit out at the proposals in a statement: “We do not believe these cuts are necessary. They will leave people with poorer [physical] and mental health which will cost the council more in the long run.
“We have been working with SNP group leader Tracy Carragher to find a way for these Labour cuts to be stopped; North Lanarkshire should use the tens of millions due to them over the coming years from the Strathclyde Pension Fund surplus to embark on a programme of repair and upgrade to bring facilities up to standard.”
Meghan Gallacher and Graham Simpson, the Tory MSPs for the Central Scotland region, said in a joint statement: “Councils can no longer bear the brunt of austerity [imposed] on them against their will by the Scottish Government.”
