Disgraced ex-council leader breaks silence

DISGRACED former leader of Glasgow City Council Steven Purcell has broken his three-year silence since leaving of f i ce after a high-profile breakdown.

Mr Purcell, 40, departed in March 2010 after almost five years as council leader when a drink problem spiralled into a nervous breakdown. He confessed subsequently to using cocaine while in office, and had been warned by police he might be blackmailed.

In an exclusive interview with The Herald’s sister paper, the Sunday Herald, he said he spent the past three years recuperating and rebuilding his personal life, as well as developing a business consultancy.

Mr Purcell said: “I was genuinely very ill for the first two years after my departure, and in the last year have managed to rebuild my personal life and a role within the business community in Glasgow.”

He discussed the prospect of a Yes vote in the independence poll, urging Glasgow councillors to prepare for such an outcome.

He added: “Regardless of the outcome, more powers will come to the Scottish Parliament over the next few years. I know for a fact there is at least one other city which is looking very discreetly at what opportunities an independent Scotland, or a Scottish Parliament enhanced with more powers and responsibilities, would create for them. I hope Glasgow is doing the same.”

Mr Purcell stressed he was not advocating a Yes vote. He also declined to say how he would vote in the referendum next year, and said he had no current plans to return to politics.