THE councillor set to become interim leader of the Labour-led South Lanarkshire council was previously censured by the Standards Commission for shouting a Nazi slogan during a public meeting.
Depute council leader Gerry Convery is set to take over from his colleague Joe Fagan after he was suspended for two months on Tuesday for breaching the Councillors’ Code of Conduct by leaking confidential information for “political gain”.
A spokesman for South Lanarkshire Council said they are waiting for a "written decision by the Ethical Standards Commission for Scotland", and that Convery currently remains Depute Council Leader.
The Sun revealed in 2018 that during a meeting of the council’s executive committee, Convery shouted "sieg heil" at SNP council leader John Ross, for which he was censured.
The Labour councillor was also censured in 2020 for failing to declare the interest of a close relative.
The Labour councillor disputed shouting at Ross at the time, saying: "It just came out."
It came amid a row over a school clothing grant. Ross had rejected an idea from Labour councillor Fiona Dryburgh to use an underspend to top up the grants, to which Convery blurted out the Nazi cry.
He claimed it had been made “through frustration”. He added: “My colleague was only trying to get surplus money given to poorer, hard-working families as clothing grants.
“And the chair basically attacked her from the chair, and sitting next to her I shouted 'sieg heil’.
“And I immediately retracted it, of course. It’s no way to conduct yourself, obviously. But it’s the frustration with the SNP.”
He went on: “It was just two words I said. People say things in the height of frustration. There was no content, no thought behind it. It just came out.”
Labour currently runs South Lanarkshire Council as a minority administration with the support of Independents and Liberal Democrats.
The SNP group at South Lanarkshire have said that Convery shouldn’t be allowed to step into the role.
Commenting, depute leader Maureen Chalmers said: “Gerry Convery was quoted in the press claiming those of us who called out his disgraceful behaviour were 'trying to make a mountain out of a molehill'.
“Similarly, Joe Fagan was quoted after his own sanction saying his “conscience is clear”. South Lanarkshire Labour clearly don’t think the rules apply to them.
“At Cllr Convery’s hearing, his comments were described as 'offensive, unnecessary and demeaning' and 'egregious and disrespectful' – I completely agree with this characterisation. At the time, our SNP group called for the Labour Party and his group to take action, and this was simply ignored.
“Unbelievably, Cllr Convery was censured again one year later for failing to declare a personal interest in a Council decision.
“The people of South Lanarkshire deserve better than one rule-breaker standing in for another. My Group do not think Cllr Convery is any more fit to lead than his boss, he should also step aside.”
A spokesman for South Lanarkshire Council said: “We await the written decision by the Ethical Standards Commission for Scotland. I can confirm that Councillor Gerry Convery is the Depute Council Leader.”
Gerry Convery has been contacted for comment.
