SNP set to take control of North Lanarkshire

THE SNP is set to take over the running of North Lanarkshire Council for the first time.

Jordan Linden, the SNP group leader, is expected to become the youngest person to lead the council at the age of 26 and also the first LGBT leader of the authority following a meeting today of the full council.

The SNP won 36 seats on the council, with Labour taking 32, the Tories five, independents two, British Unionist Party one and Green one.

It is understood the Green councillor and one of the independents have given their tacit support to the SNP which will run the council as a minority administration.

Councillor Linden said: “The SNP is set to lead North Lanarkshire for the first time. We will have the first SNP Provost, the first SNP leader. I will be the youngest leader of North Lanarkshire Council and the first LGBT leader of the council. Big changes.”

He added: “We will take things day by day, and genuinely seek to collaborate right across the board with the exception of the Tories and the BUP.”

Meanwhile, Labour and the Liberal Democrats will run South Lanarkshire Council for the next five years, taking over from the SNP, which ran it from 2017 as a minority administration.