The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Ruling parties poised to fall at vote count
Ruling town hall administrations are poised to fall across Scotland when votes are counted on Friday.
Locally, the SNP is targeting winning back control of Fife Council from Labour, although it is far from clear if it will claim a majority of councillors.
If it fails to do that, all eyes will be on the Liberal Democrats, who supported the Nationalist administration when it was last in power in Fife.
Neale Hanvey, the nationalists’ group leader, said: “I’m convinced that an SNP-led council will make Fife stronger.”
Labour’s David Ross, who led the last authority group, said his party has a proud local record on education to fall back on.
He added: “Over the past five years, despite significant cuts to council funding by the SNP Government in Holyrood and the austerity policies of the Tory Government in Westminster, we have succeeded in protecting our vital local services and invested in things that really matter to people in their everyday lives.”
Elsewhere in Courier Country, the Conservatives are eyeing gains from the SNP in both Perthshire and Angus, while it is all but certain that Dundee will once again return a Nationalist administration.
Labour, its main challengers in the city, are not standing enough candidates to take control of the council.
Eyes nationally are on Glasgow, where it is thought the SNP could oust Labour in a victory that would be seen as hugely symbolic.