Labour budget bid leads to quarrel

A row broke out at the full council meeting when Labour went head-tohead with officers and the provost over their amended budget.

Both the Labour and the Tory groups put forward their own budgets at the executive committee.

Labour’s budget defeated the Tories’ but then lost to the SNP by 14 to eight after they secured the support of the Independent Group and Liberal Democrat Robert Brown.

However, when Labour wanted to put forward their amendment at the full council meeting – which included £3 million extra for carriageways improvements – they were refused.

Officers said the matters in Labour’s amendment had been voted for at the executive committee and under the local authority’s own rules could not then go before the full council.

East Kilbride Central South councillor Gerry Convery said:“There have been three different cash settlements coming from the Scottish Government.

“The Labour Group put forward an amendment, as did the Tories, but only 26 councillors were involved in the vote on that.

“As a democrat, I would like to see our amendment go before all 64 members. We are putting forward something which has not been seen by every councillor in this authority.”

Independent Davie McLachlan, the suspended Labour Group leader, said the message being sent out was that the full council“didn’t have a voice as 64 members”and that it was the paper before them which was“incompetent” rather than Labour’s amendment.

Following exchanges with officers and provost Ian McAllan, a frustrated Cllr McLachlan snapped“don’t talk to me like that”.

Council leader John Ross said councillors would have been privy to both Labour and Tory amendments to the budget prior to the meeting.