HALF of Edinburgh Council’s Labour administration are facing investigations for breaches of code of conduct after a “rule-breaking” party in the City Chambers.
Council leader Cammy Day apologised after the event came to light, when newly-selected Westminster candidates posted pictures online of a "thank-you’ gathering attended by at least five other administration councillors and party activists.
The event was held in the Labour group’s offices, and the posts were quickly deleted. However, it sparked accusations that it breached “strict rules against using taxpayer-funded council facilities for party political campaigning”.
Day’s apology came following pressure from Kevin Lang, the LibDem group leader, as the Labour administration risked losing support of the party to remain in power due to the blunder.
Lang welcomed the response but said it “should never have taken five days for him to respond and acknowledge the mistakes made”.
And now, six councillors - half of the ruling group of 12 members - are set to face standards investigations after it emerged that councillor Scott Arthur, transport and environment convener, was also in attendance.
Planning convener James Dalgleish, culture and communities convener Val Walker and integration joint board chair Tim Pogson had previously been named as attending.
Katrina Faccenda, the only other councillor to respond so far, confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service she would also be reporting herself to the Commissioner.
“I was invited to drinks where the two candidates were present. As a new councillor I assumed this was ok to have a gathering of LP members similar to the Christmas parties all groups hold,” she wrote on X/Twitter.
The event was hosted by Chris Murray, Edinburgh East and Musselburgh Westminster candidate, and Tracy Gilbert, candidate for Edinburgh North and Leith.
Gilbert hailed the event as a “fantastic” night with “so much optimism” in a post on X/Twitter, before swiftly deleting it due to the backlash.
The photographs showed around 40 attendees holding Labour election posters.
A separate post by Allan McDougall, which has also since been deleted, showed Day, Murray and Gilbert in front of party posters stuck to furniture and an audience in Labour’s City Chamber’s office.
The code of conduct prohibits the use of council resources “without thinking about the implications or consequences, unlawfully, for any party political or campaigning activities or matters relating to these or improperly”.
If a breach is found to have occurred, members can be censured, suspended and even barred from sitting.
The incident has caused a rift between the Labour administration and its 13 LibDem colleagues, with Lang insisting that the councillors and the event should be “investigated fully”.
“It is now important for this independent process to be allowed to run its course,” he said.
“The council as a whole will then need to consider the Commission’s decision and any sanction it chooses to impose.”
After details of the event emerged, Andrew Kerr, the local authority’s chief executive, wrote to councillors reminding them of “your own responsibilities under the Code of Conduct, with respect to the use of council resources”.
