LABOUR have lost control of a Scottish council – despite winning an outright majority of seats in the 2022 local elections.
West Dunbartonshire Council was one of only two local authorities in Scotland to see a majority of councillors returned from a single party at that election, alongside the SNP in Dundee.
However, on Wednesday evening Labour gave up control of the local authority in an embarrassing moment for Anas Sarwar’s Scottish group.
Councillor Martin Rooney, who had led West Dunbartonshire Council for Labour, made the bombshell announcement at the end of a full council meeting.
🔊Listen to the odd moment Scottish Labour resign control of West Dunbartonshire Council. The resigning council leader, Martin Rooney, was initially not allowed to speak as he refused to say what he wanted to talk about pic.twitter.com/wLppM9Omo2
— The National (@ScotNational) August 29, 2024
After struggling to be allowed to speak due to declining to say what his statement was about, Rooney told the meeting: “It's clear that the Labour administration no longer has sufficient numbers of votes to be able to get a budget through.
“As a result, the Labour group of councillors will resign the leadership and the senior councillor councillor positions with immediate effect.
“It will now be for the 12 opposition councillors to form an administration. Thank you.”
Earlier on Wednesday, two Scottish Labour councillors – Danny Lennie and June McKay – had resigned from the party amid a reported row over who should be the council’s new provost. Their decision meant that Labour became a minority administration.
There are seven SNP councillors, four independents (two former Labour and two former SNP), one Community Party councillor, and ten Labour councillors in West Dunbartonshire.
As it stands, there is no ruling administration on the local authority. However, the newly chosen provost Karen Murray Conaghan is from the SNP.
Speaking after her election, Murray Conaghan said: “I am extremely proud to have been elected as the first female provost for West Dunbartonshire.
“It will be a great honour to represent our communities and council and I will work tirelessly for the people of West Dunbartonshire.”
At the meeting on Wednesday, Murray Conaghan had intended to lead tributes to outgoing provost Douglas McAllister, who resigned the role after being elected as an MP in July.
However, no one spoke to join her and so the meeting was ended.
McAllister issued a statement attacking the two former Labour councillors whose resignation led to the administration’s collapse.
“It is beyond disappointing that Danny Lennie and June McKay used the Scottish Labour Party to get elected and have now turned their backs on Labour voters. They have shown their true colours and denied democracy,” he said.
“This has now resulted in the removal of a majority Labour administration because Danny and June put personal advancement above the greater good.
“They have both been expelled from the Labour Party as a result of their actions.
“All Labour Councillors in West Dunbartonshire act in the interests of those they represent, rather than putting personal ambition before those that they serve.
“This now leaves a new administration to be formed by SNP and independent councillors who will struggle to protect the local community from SNP government cuts.”
