Labour have not sought any formal ban on council coalitions despite leader Anas Sarwar’s opposition to such pacts.
With local elections just three months away, such a move would have a huge impact on South Ayrshire, where the current administration is made up of nine SNP, five Labour and two independent councillors.
Without the coalition, the Conservatives and their 12 members elected in 2017, would have been able to form a minority administration.
South Ayrshire Council has relied on partnerships and coalitions since the move from single member wards to multi-member wards and the Single Transferrable Vote (STV) voting system in 2007.
In 2012, the Conservatives had formed a partnership agreement with Labour, after 10 Conservatives, nine Labour and nine SNP councillors were elected.
The Conservatives had also formed a minority administration from 2007 to 2012.
Last month, Mr Sarwar said: “My strong view is I don’t think we should be doing pacts or deals or coalitions. I don’t think we should be looking at coalitions with any party.
“We need further conversations and discussions with local government colleagues. I’ve expressed a view about how we should operate going forward.”
However, asked whether there had been any discussions towards making Mr Sarwar’s personal view a formal policy, Scottish Labour was non-committal, pointing out that any such decision could only be taken by its Scottish executive committee.
A spokespersman for for the party added: “Labour is committed to maximising our representation and winning individual arguments on their merits.
“We are working to have representation across all parts of the country and have selected candidates that are committed to their communities.”
Both SNP and Labour group leaders Peter Henderson and Brian McGinley have previously indicated a willingness to continue a coalition – calling for stability to carry out their longer-term plans.
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