At review of boundaries

The Conservative candidate for the Rutherglen Central and North by-election believes any future attempt to return Rutherglen to the Glasgow council area should be resisted.

Taylor Muir will stand for the Tories in the seat on November 23.

He said local residents feared a “power grab”by Glasgow when the boundaries are next reviewed.

Mr Muir said:“Some are determined to see Rutherglen swallowed up by Glasgow once again when the issue is raised in a future boundary review.

“South Lanarkshire Council is a far more suitable local authority for our town and recognises our diversity through bodies like the joint licensing boards. This local approach is favoured by the people of Rutherglen and must not be sacrificed to pursue any political agenda by forcing us back in to Glasgow City Council.

“I call on all candidates to join me in calling for the will of the local people of Rutherglen to be respected and agree that any future attempts to drag us out of South Lanarkshire must be resisted, no matter who is returned as the councillor on November 23.”

Rutherglen had previously been part of Glasgow between 1975 and 1996.

During that time, many locals felt the towns lost their independence and suffered neglect, with the decay of the town hall becoming synonymous with a general decline.

Two years ago a leading historian caused controversy by saying Rutherglen should once again become part of the city.

The issue raised its head again in the lead up to the last Scottish election when Nicola Sturgeon refused to rule out cutting the number of councils during a proposed review.