Glasgow Labour group leader George Redmond has insisted it was the “right decision” not to present an alternative council budget, after he survived a tight leadership contest.
Cllr Redmond has been leading the city’s Labour councillors since he defeated the late Malcolm Cunning in a vote following last May’s election.
But former Lord Provost Philip Braat challenged Cllr Redmond for the job at an annual general meeting this morning, with some members believed to be unhappy with the decision not to present budget plans.
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Cllr Redmond narrowly avoided defeat, holding on to his position with 20 votes to Cllr Braat’s 15.
He stood by the group’s approach to the council budget process in February, saying there was a “clear mandate”. At the time, he said Labour wouldn’t take part in the “sham” of setting a budget which cuts services.
After today’s vote, he said: “That was the right decision, there was a vote. The SNP has failed to provide adequate funding for councils across the country.
“We had to take a stand. If we don’t take a stand now, that budget will continue to decline.”
Cllr Soryia Siddique was unanimously re-elected as Labour’s deputy leader while Cllr Frank McAveety retained the business manager role after defeating Stephen Curran by 19 votes to 15.
Cllr Redmond said the goal now was to unite the party. He added there had been a “positive” discussion with the Labour group and he will do his “utmost to make sure that those ideas are incorporated into our agenda”.
“It is about the cost of living and the underfunding of public services,” he said, adding the “issues that really matter to the people in Glasgow” include education and care services as well as the state of the roads and parks.
The cost of living crisis is not going away, he added, with citizens forced to skip meals as supermarket prices rise. Cllr Redmond believes the council needs to provide more help but “can only step up if we get a fairer settlement from the Scottish Government”.
First Minister Humza Yousaf has promised an improved deal for councils but the Labour group leader claimed there has been “not a word” since the election campaign. “People are sick of warm words, it’s action that is needed,” he added.
Reacting to the vote on social media, Cllr Malcolm Mitchell, SNP, said Labour was “clearly a heavily divided group”.
“The numbers show that a few Labour councillors who backed Redmond just a year ago have lost faith already. Unsurprising given the disastrous decision to boycott this year’s budget.”
Cllr Redmond was re-elected as a councillor last year after previously serving between 1999 and 2017. He challenged Malcolm Cunning for the leadership position in May last year and won by 24 votes to 11.
Glasgow’s council is currently run by a minority SNP administration, which returned 37 councillors last May, while Labour is the largest opposition group with 36 members. The Greens, who have 10 councillors, have a working agreement with the SNP.
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