Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Labour pair quit in protest
Resignation of Brooks and Higgins
Co a t b r i d g e South councillors Jim Brooks and John Higgins have become the latest members to resign from the Labour group on North Lanarkshire Council.
They say they have reached their decision in protest at the leadership of Jim Logue, recent budget-cutting closures in the town and the recent selection process conducted to choose the party’s candidates for next year’s election.
Both submitted their resignations to the party yesterday afternoon; they now plan to sit as independents for the next six months and then stand against their former party in May.
It further reduces Labour’s newly- minority administration to 32 members, compared to 22 on the SNP opposition and 16 independents – of whom nine are ex- Labour members who have resigned in the past eight months.
Councillor Brooks yesterday told the Advertiser: “I’ve resigned from Labour after 45 years’ service. The party is in terminal decline – people are leaving who are dyed-in-thewool Labour, it’s no longer the same party under Jim Logue’s leadership, and I’ve had enough of what’s going on.
“For the party to be down to 32 members in a council of 70 means it’s becoming less and less viable by the day; I think more people will be resigning very soon, and I think we’ll start to see a new party emerge.”
He added: “I’ve watched this administration, for example, close two community centres and a library, and that can’t go on.
“Coatbridge shouldn’t take the weight of these cuts; I can’t argue against it when I’m in the group but will argue against it now.”
Neither representative was successful in the recent initial interview selection process to choose Labour’s approved list of candidates for May’s election; and chose not to appeal after taking issue with particular reports prepared for the selection panel appraising their contribution as councillors.
Councillor Brooks said: “We think there are serious questions about the reports and wrote to the party saying the process was flawed because of it, but didn’t have a reply.”
Councillor Higgins said of the duo’s resignations: “We didn’t do this lightly and it wasn’t an easy decision, and the selection process was the last straw.
“I brought it up at the constituency party and I thought about appealing, but felt that would have been to condone the reports and it’s hard when people [on the panel] don’t know you.
“Jim and I are a partnership in everything we do in the ward and we’ll still be doing our jobs, holding surgeries and serving the people of the area.”