THE SNP group leader in South Ayrshire has blasted a Labour councillor’s claims that they didn’t abstain in order to put the Tories in power as “rubbish”.
Peter Henderson, the previous SNP council leader for South Ayrshire, told The National that his Labour colleagues on the authority “knew fine well” what they were doing by abstaining and allowing a Tory minority administration to take over.
During the first full council meeting after the election, Labour’s five councillors refused to vote the SNP administration into power, alongside a number of independents.
With the Tories having 10 councillors (-2) and the SNP returning nine councillors in May, the balance of power lay with Labour, who had five, and the four independents (+2).
Speaking to our sister paper the Ayr Advertiser, Labour leader Councillor Brian McGinley claimed that the decision to abstain was not part of a bid to put the Tories into power.
He said: “The Labour members abstained because we did not have the numbers to carry the vote and we refused to put either the Tories or the SNP into power because we do not think that they are good for Scotland.
“Now that the Tories have been elected, as the largest group, we will work collegiately with them to stabilise the governance of the council and drive forward the agenda that Labour voters want us to advance.
“We are very clear that we will not form part of the administration but will take roles that are oppositional and scrutiny based.”
The National put McGinley’s claims to Henderson who immediately dubbed them “rubbish”.
He said: “I’ll be honest, having worked with us for five years we made terrific progress. They knew fine well by abstaining that would happen.
“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work it out, the Conservatives got 10 councillors, the SNP got nine councillors, so if Labour abstain what do you think is going to happen? As did the independents.”
Henderson pointed out that in neighbouring authorities like Dumfries and Galloway and East Ayrshire, Labour are working with the SNP, and said South Ayrshire Labour were using leader Anas Sarwar’s no-coalition rule as an “excuse”.
He said: “So I’m sorry but both Labour and the independents knew exactly what they were doing.
“Everything was agreed until Wednesday night before the council meeting, that’s why myself and the chief executive said we were going to run a minority administration.
“Then people try to sit on their hands. I wonder what their supporters think.”
Henderson added: “I think it's on their own conscience, what they've done, they have allowed the Conservative Party to take the administration.”
