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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Kaiya Marjoribanks

Here's how Stirling Council could shape up after Scottish local elections

Now the fun starts.

The question of who will take control of Stirling Council is still in the balance despite all the results being announced.

The SNP have the most councillors for any individual party with eight - but with 23 members in total within the council it is far from an outright majority.

Following the 2017 election, when they secured nine seats, the SNP formed a joint administration with the four Labour councillors.
This time round they may try to make a similar deal with Labour, who this time improved their performace by boosting their numbers to six.

Previous council administrations, however, have seen Labour and the Tories join forces against the SNP.

Whether Labour - who could again be the “kingmakers” - will see fit to do the same with the seven Tory councillors in the new council, however, remains to be seen.

Green councillor Alasdair Tollemache returns to the council. While he has generally voted with the SNP on most issues, he has stopped short of officially joining forces.

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Alasdair Macpherson, meanwhile, returns - but this time as an independent.

He resigned from the SNP citing disillusionment with the party and concerns over unpopular changes by the SNP/Labour administration to the waste collection service - and later strenuously denying claims by the party that he had been colluding with the Tories.

But this time the outspoken self-professed socialist’s presence on the council will be free from party allegiances and he may wish to vote on an issue by issue basis.

Whatever happens, it could be a lively time until the first council meeting - and for the next four or five years.

Here are the 23 members of your new Stirling Council.

SNP - 8 councillors: Scott Farmer, Graham Houston, Susan McGill, Gerry McLaughlan, Gene Maxwell, Rosemary Fraser, Jim Thomson, Brian Hambly.

CONSERVATIVE - 7 councillors: Neil Benny, Martin Earl, Douglas Dodds, Bryan Flannagan, Elaine Watterson, Paul Henke, Rachel Nunn.

LABOUR - 6 councillors: Chris Kane, Margaret Brisley, Danny Gibson, Jen Preston, Ewan Dillon, Gerry McGarvey,

GREEN - 1 councillor: Alasdair Tollemache.

INDEPENDENT - 1 councillor: Alasdair Macpherson.

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