suzyscottdotcom

By Brian Allison, local government reporter

LORD PROVOST John Letford has resigned from the Labour group on Dundee City Council, effectively scuppering any lingering chance that his former colleagues can retain power.

It now looks certain the SNP will be able to take over the administration at a special council meeting next Monday.

Labour appear to have all but thrown in the towel with administration leader Kevin Keenan issuing a statement accepting it now “looks very likely” that the SNP will form an administration.

Mr Keenan has suggested that Mr Letford should be stripped of the position of lord provost and replaced by depute lord provost and Independent councillor Ian Borthwick.

However, that does not appear to be on the agenda as SNP leader Ken Guild said his group would be proposing that Mr Letford and Mr Borthwick both retain their present posts.

Mr Letford said he had formally resigned from the Labour group yesterday with immediate effect and would sit as an Independent on the council.

He said he would be voting with the SNP at next week’s meeting, which is expected to result in the nationalists taking control of the council.

“My initial inclination had been to abstain in the vote but, after discussing it with members of my family, I intend to take part in the vote,” he said. “My family are fully behind me and believe I should take a stand.”

Mr Letford said there had been disagreements between himself and the Labour group dating back to the last administration before the elections in 2007.

He said he intended that the details of those disagreements would remain private unless the Labour group chose to highlight them.

“Because of the agenda for March 30 (the special meeting of the council), I have to describe one of the major disagreements that was part of the many reasons I resigned.

“I have been trying to persuade my ex-colleagues for nearly two years to recognise the fact that, in the interests of the city and fair play, Dundee City Council committee conveners should be compiled from all parties,” he said.

Mr Letford said that was “more than self-evident” when the SNP, as the largest single party on the council with 13 members, had been excluded from any role in the administration. The situation had been made worse since the SNP increased to 14 members—almost half the 29-member council— by winning the Maryfield by-election earlier this month.

“It is ludicrous to believe all the political talent required to run a city is only available in the administration and exclude half of the councillors,” he said.

“My pleas fell on deaf ears and, because of that and other serious differences, I felt I could no longer stay a member of the administration and the Labour group. I think the majority of people in the city will understand my reasons, but if they don’t I will live with that.”

Mr Letford is the second Labour councillor to resign in the last few weeks, following former Maryfield councillor Joe Morrow, whose departure caused the by-election subsequently won by the SNP.

Councillor Guild said he welcomed Mr Letford’s statement. “I am aware that it has taken a great deal of heart searching and courage on his part to reach this stage.

“I think he has been an excellent ambassador for the city and we hope he will be able to continue in his ceremonial role under an SNP administration.”

Mr Guild said his group would be putting forward the names of Mr Letford and Mr Borthwick as lord provost and depute lord provost at next Monday’s special meeting. He said that would be the case “irrespective of the voting pattern at the meeting.”

Reacting to Mr Letford’s resignation from the Labour group, Councillor Keenan said it was a “sad and disappointing turn of events, which makes it increasingly unlikely that we can sustain the administration.

“I would like to pay a sincere tribute to all of my colleagues who have worked tirelessly to promote our city and ensure its progress in recent years.

“It now looks very likely that the SNP will be able to form a new administration of their choosing solely due to the lord provost’s defection.”

Mr Keenan said he was urging the SNP to give serious consideration to appointing Councillor Borthwick as lord provost in view of the overwhelming support he had received from the council when being made depute lord provost a few months ago.

“I am confident that this would receive the endorsement of the citizens of Dundee,” he said. “This would be a fitting tribute to his 46 years of public service.”

The make-up of the council now comprises 14 SNP members, eight Labour, three Conservatives, two Liberal Democrats and two Independents.