Attempts by Tory councillors to oust Stirling Council’s SNP/Labour administration have narrowly failed.
The Conservatives had asked for a special meeting after accusing the administration of “losing touch” with the public, citing unpopular changes to bin collections and plans for a Viewforth Link Road as an illustration that the council leadership is no longer reflecting public opinion.
The Tories tabled a motion of no confidence against the council administration at a special meeting last Thursday afternoon.
However, the administration cemented its position, voting down the Conservative motion by 11 votes to 10.
An amendment then tabled by council leader Councillor Scott Farmer reiterating the council’s confidence in the administration was then passed by the same margins.
Alba councillor Maureen Bennison and Green councillor Alasdair Tollemache abstained on both votes, while independent councillor Rob Davies voted with the Conservatives on both the motion and the amendment.
Speaking at the meeting, Tory group leader Councillor Neil Benny said the administration had produced plenty “strategies and action plans but few actual achievements” and there were no outcomes that had really had a positive impact on the people of Stirling. He also accused the administration of ignoring a petition on changes to the waste collection service.
He added: “We need to focus on outcomes that deliver for people. We need to work beyond the council and with partners rather than simply turning inwards. You are trying to design services in a vacuum and ignore people when they try to tell us the community of Stirling needs to adapt to the new situation we find ourselves in. We need to support people and work alongside them rather than designing services for them.”
Stirling Council leader Scott Farmer said: “If there is an overwhelming need for the Viewforth Link Road that would be taken into account by a future administration but we are not committed to the Viewforth Link Road and we are committed to looking at active travel solutions to avoid a link road.
“We got the bins wrong in terms of communication but not in terms of consultation. At the end of the day sometimes you have decisions to make that are difficult. It’s not about decision by an ill-informed opinion poll. We have to take decisions that might be unpopular but are the right thing to do.”
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Following the meeting Councillor Farmer added: “The Tory antics were truly shameful, and their failed vote of no confidence shows exactly where their priorities lie.
“Our constituents want us to focus on economic support for our businesses, the education of our children, helping the most vulnerable in our communities and progressing our fight against the climate and ecological emergency. These grubby boardroom politics do a terrible disservice to the public, as well as wasting the valuable time of our dedicated council officers who are rightly focused on service delivery amidst a global pandemic.”
Since 2017 the administration has been an SNP/Labour coalition, originally comprising of nine SNP and four Labour councillors, with an opposition of eight Tories, one Green and one independent. Now, however, the SNP has seven councillors after Cllr Bennison joined Alba and a by-election following the death of SNP councillor Graham Lambie was won by a Tory.
Stirling’s new MSP Evelyn Tweed meanwhile is continuing in her role as an SNP councillor for Trossachs and Teith rather than stand down and risk a by-election before next year’s local authority elections.
