Mason writes to police - Strathclyde must investigate Purcell contacts

Glasgow's problems go beyond Purcell

Former Labour rising star Steven Purcell's interview in the Sun, 4 weeks after he resigned as leader of Glasgow City Council has left more questions for Labour and the Council to answer said Glasgow East MP John Mason and Council Opposition leader James Dornan as it emerged others in the council were told of Cllr Purcell's drug use but took no action.

Mr Mason has repeated his call for a full independent investigation into the council's dealings and has again written to the police following confirmation of supply and use of illegal drugs and confirmation by former Councillor Purcell that he was believed to be at risk from blackmail.

The two also said that recent revelations over behaviour at Labour's quangos in Glasgow, expenses, questions over contracts and concerns over relations with Labour party donors showed the Labour run council faced questions going far beyond Steven Purcell.

In the interview The Sun says Purcell "suffered the emotional breakdown amid fears gangsters had a video of him snorting cocaine"

Following a visit by the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency Purcell adds "I told close colleagues at the council about it because I think it is important to be honest.  They were happy for me to carry on - with the strict condition it didn't happen again."

Glasgow East MP John Mason said: "There is no doubt Steven Purcell is facing difficult personal problems and I hope everyone will give him the time to recover, but his interview has left more questions than answers for the rest of Glasgow Labour.

"Strathclyde Police must now investigate who Mr Purcell was in contact with and if the council or any individuals were exposed to undue influence at any point.  I am writing again to the police to ask them to investigate this matter.

"This interview confirms not simply that he used cocaine but had a very real fear that gangsters had a video of him and could blackmail him.

"There are real questions over who he had been spending time with and what they wanted with him that the police must investigate.

"This goes beyond the individual and brings in questions of propriety in the council that are of genuine concern to my constituents.

"Continuing concerns in the newspapers over council contracts, connections to city businessmen and now gangsters are legitimate points that should be investigated."

Glasgow Opposition Leader James Dornan said: "Cllr Purcell's resignation has simply exposed the cracks in Labour's façade.

"The questions facing the Labour administration go well beyond Steven Purcell's personal situation.

"The council and the Labour party must tell us who was told about the SCDEA visit, who knew that Steven Purcell was taking drugs and on what grounds did they decide to take no further action.

"If Steven Purcell's council colleagues had acted properly he may have had the opportunity to get help for his problems rather than face the situation he and Glasgow are now in.

"As Scotland's largest authority with the largest mainland budget there are billions of pounds that must be properly accounted for and it is essential for Glasgow that we know council money is being spent properly not lavished on champagne lifestyles and luxury lunches.

"This week councillors will have the opportunity to open the council up to real scrutiny by voting with the SNP for a full statement and a full investigation.  If Labour are so sure there is nothing wrong then they should have nothing to hide."

Note:

The motion for debate on Thursday reads:

'Council notes recent events  concerning the former leadership of the council, recognises that  the lack of clarity over events at a senior level risks damaging the reputation of Glasgow City Council, and that public trust can only be restored by being open and honest about what has happened. Council resolves that in order to move forward and put these damaging events behind us, that a full statement is made by the acting leader, that an independent investigation be undertaken into the practices and recent decisions of the Council, that the findings be published in full, and that lessons be learned from this process to ensure such a situation cannot arise again in the future.'