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Friday, 18 August 2006 |
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In a surprise move this week, Labour have backed down on the composition of the Council's new Executive Committee. Before the summer Labour had been insistent that there would be 16 of their councillors on it and no opposition members at all. All 10 opposition councillors were strongly critical of this and on 29 June the SNP's John Mason sat in the Lord Provost's chair before the Council meeting by way of protest.
But it seems the Council administration did not want this issue to run and run up to the elections in May. Perhaps they realised that the public would increasingly see it as an abuse of power. John Mason said, "Even people with no real political interest were commenting to me how totally wrong Labour's proposal was."
Although the SNP had sought a seat on the committee for each of the 4 opposition parties, only 2 have been granted. After consideration the SNP has decided to take up its seat while making it clear they do not agree with the new system. The previous committee system could have been modernised and we will be looking to propose that in our manifesto for the May elections.
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