Labour and Nats to do council deal

Barring any last-minute changes of allegiance , Labour and the SNP were yesterday (Thursday) on course to agree a deal to take over the political leadership of Stirling Council.

Newly-elected councillors were due to hold their first full formal council meeting last night to elect a leader, deputy leader and provost.

Following the May 4 election no party had enough councillors to take overall control. The SNP and the Conservatives both secured nine seats while Labour were left with only four councillors.

All week both the Conservative and SNP groups have been trying to persuade the Labour four to join them in a ruling coalition.

And the noises coming out of Viewforth yesterday afternoon, with only hours to go before the council meeting at 6pm, was that a Labour / SNP partnership was the most likely.

It is understood that in return for their support a Labour member would be given the role of provost and Labour councillors would receive chairmanship of two committees and the role of deputy council leader.

Sources say both Labour and the SNP will assure council staff that the policy of no compulsory redundancies will continue if the agreement is finalised.

However, for the Labour group any agreement with the SNP would require the backing of the Stirling constituency party and the party’s national executive.

Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale made it clear this week that the party had no stomach for Labour councillors in Scotland making deals with the Tories when she announced the suspension of Labour councillors in Aberdeen who did just that.

After the elections council insiders thought the mostly likely option was a union between Labour and the Conservatives, who ran the council together after the 2012 election.

However, revelations of abusive tweets which led to the suspension from the Conservative group of newly-elected Alastair Majury and Robert Davies are thought to have made that option less likely.