West Dunbartonshire Council offices in the old Burgh Hall at 16 Church Street, Dumbarton.
By Bill Heaney
The utter shambles that is the Labour Party in West Dunbartonshire finally boiled over last night when they were forced to abandon control of the local council.
The Church Street, Dumbarton-based council was thrown into chaos when Labour leader Martin Rooney made the bombshell announcement that they were throwing in the towel.
It followed red faces all round for Labour after two of their group – Clydebank councillors Danny Lennon and June McKay, a virtual unknown in the community – resigned and voted for the SNP leader Karen Connaghan to replace the departing Labour provost, Douglas McAllister, who was recently elected as West Dunbartonshire’s Member of Parliament at the General Election.
And the gold chain of office went to the SNP’s Karen Conaghan who beat Labour’s John Millar in local government’s shock of the century. Community Party councillor Jim Bollan looks favourite to be voted in as the new council leader.
Labour had hoped to replace Douglas ‘Three Jobs’ McAllister with Councillor John Millar but that plan went by the board when the resignation of the two Clydebank councillors left them without the numbers to win that vote.
Labour has now accused these two of putting “personal advancement above the greater good.”
This left the SNP led by Karen Conaghan, Community Party councillor Jim Bollan and an independent coalition to form a new administration which will be expected to move the budget for the next financial year.
It goes without saying that the budget will contain public service cuts which Labour has meekly accepted instead of fighting tooth and nail to have them scrapped or at the very least keep them to a minimum.
When Labour went on to lose a further vote over Christmas holiday working arrangements, they appear to have decided enough was enough.
Councillor Rooney, whose personal popularity has dropped through the floor, said: “It’s clear that the Labour administration no longer has a sufficient number of votes to be able to get a budget through.
“As a result the Labour group of councillors will resign their leadership and senior council positions with immediate effect.
“It will now be for the 12 opposition councillors to form an administration.”
In a stinging statement released just minutes after the meeting had concluded, the departing powder puff Provost McAllister – elected as an MP in July – slammed the two Clydebank members, saying that they “put personal ambition before those that they serve.”
The outgoing Provost said: “It is beyond disappointing that Danny Lennie and June McKay used the Scottish Labour Party to get elected and have now turned their backs on Labour voters. They have shown their true colours and denied democracy.”
That is rich given Douglas McAllister’s attitude to openness and transparency and even public access to meetings.
He added: “This has now resulted in the removal of a majority Labour administration because Danny and June put personal advancement above the greater good.
“They have both been expelled from the Labour Party as a result of their actions.
“All Labour councillors in West Dunbartonshire act in the interests of those they represent, rather than putting personal ambition before those that they serve.”
“This now leaves a new administration to be formed by SNP and independent councillors who will struggle to protect the local community from SNP Government cuts.”
Labour councillors who presided over the hugely unpopular closure of Balloch Library.
However, the Provost must know this isn’t true since Labour – like their colleagues now in Government at Westminster local Labour are blaming their Tory predecessors for swingeing cuts such as the winter fuel allowance for pensioners and a ten per cent hike in energy bills.
The hugely controversial measures being taken now such as the brown bin tax, a housing emergency, the Balloch library closure and the environmental disaster of no grass cutting are all being blamed on the SNP.
There is also the astonishing fact that Labour councillors have come out in support of the Flamingo Land development in Balloch, something that is likely to explode in their faces this weekend. Watch this space.
West Dunbartonshire Council currently has an seven strong SNP group. With Councillors Lennie and McKay and former SNP members Diane Docherty and Jonathan McColl, the former administration leader who after creating creating chaos during his term in office has now resigned from the SNP, sitting as independents. Jim Bollan, who is certain to play a major role in the new council administration, represents the Community Party.
Councillors McKay and Lennie have been contacted for comment as has Dame Jackie Baillie, the Labour MSP for Dumbarton.
Top of page picture is of the Municipal Buildings in Dumbarton where the grass gets cut and the flower beds are tended for the edification of councillors who are heavily subsidised through salaries and expenses have their private offices there.
This is really no surprise.
Party politics in West Dunbartonshire is a shambles. Labour or Tory – cheeks from the same backside. Rump representatives who have no control, no influence, and no real interest in the area save for a bit of ya boo politicking from time to time.
And now, coming down the line is swingeing budget cuts from the new Labour government in Westminster.