Council result can be good thing for the voters

Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of the East Kilbride News.

There was plenty of drama and excitement for those of us at the John Wright Sports Centre in East Kilbride for the South Lanarkshire Council election results.

Our congratulations go to the SNP on becoming the single biggest party within the new administration.

Indeed, our congratulations and best wishes go to every candidate who received enough votes to be elected and our commiserations go to those who were unsuccessful.

The SNP won 27 seats which means they fall short of an outright majority.

Such an outcome was not uncommon for across Scotland, the local authority political map turned an interesting shade of grey.

What happens next will make for intriguing viewing. Perhaps now more than ever there will be a need for consensus and cooperation.

One councillor told your correspondent that, while there may be differences of opinion on national issues, there is common ground on what needs to be done locally.

If our elected representatives approach the new session with that attitude, the result of the election could turn out to benefit all voters.

The people of East Kilbride and Avondale have spoken and, together with those living across South Lanarkshire, will expect work to be done with a dollop of pragmatism.

No party can expect to get their own way on every single issue but nor can they be held to ransom if we wish to have a fully-functional local government.

The News looks forward to covering the business of the day at council HQ and the beginning of a new era.