Lollipop cuts are 'final straw' for SNP

Jamie MacDonald Jamie MacDonald - 1598 • Published 19 Nov 2008 12:30 0 Comments

Share this

FURIOUS SNP councillors have withdrawn from the council"s working groups claiming to have been 'stabbed in the back' by the Labour administration.

Citing a complete lack of consultation by Labour councillors, they claimed the decision to scrap 13 school crossing patrols was 'the straw that broke the camel"s back'.

The SNP group is accusing Labour councillors of:

• going back on assurances that no cuts to crossing patrols would be made without a full and extensive consultation.

• failing to consult properly with parent councils on the issue.

• a lack of consultation over the closure of Zones leisure centre.

• putting the financial position of the council in serious jeopardy.

• only taking the cheapest option and not what is most cost effective and best for Clackmannanshire.

• talking of consensus politics but acting in the opposite manner.

Janet Cadenhead, leader of the Labour administration, refuted the SNP claims, but said she would take her time making her response sometime in the coming week.

SNP group leader Donald Balsillie said that his group had previously used their financial knowledge to pull Labour out of a black hole during last year"s budget - but due to Labour"s broken promises they had decided to withdraw from the review groups.

He told the Advertiser, 'We want to know why, despite record council funding, we are heading for a massive overspend?

'And we want to know what are the Labour portfolio holder"s doing to sort out the problems in social services and education?

'Without the SNP"s input the Labour group would have implemented the severest cuts to frontline services within the council.'

Mr Balsillie added that the lack of consultation by the administration over Zones, the 'dash for cash' in selling assets, the failure to produce a coherent leisure policy and this year"s budget overspend had put the services and financial position of the council in jeopardy.

He said, 'The only choice we are left to consider is always the very, very cheapest - not what serves Clackmannanshire in the most cost effective way.

'Residents of Clackmannanshire are being sold short at every opportunity - it is "Fire Sale" politics.'

Fellow SNP councillor Gary Womersley said that it had been important for the SNP group that a proper balance of dialogue and consultation took place, adding that the SNP and parent councils had been 'stabbed in the back' by the decision to axe crossing patrols.

Mr Womersley went on, 'The Labour party broke their promise to consult with parent councils and in doing so broke any bond of trust between us.

'Here we have a scenario where full assurances were given that no paper suggesting any cuts would be brought to the council until full and extensive consultation was undertaken - this was even acknowledged at the last council meeting - but they forced the paper through, with Tory assistance and the casting vote of the Provost.

'Janet Cadenhead talks a lot about consensus politics but acts in the completely opposite way.'

Whilst saying she would respond next week, Ms Cadenhead did add, 'My instincts are to say they are not worthy of a response but a lot of councillors put in a lot of hard work and, as Labour leader, I will defend my colleagues.'

This article appeared in Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser 19 Nov 08

Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.

Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser Poll

When should the independence referendum be held in Scotland?

This Poll is now closed.

Within 18 months, as stipulated by the UK Government (30.2%)

Autumn 2014, as announced by Alex Salmond (52.8%)

Never (17.0%)

Follow @alloatiser