3 days ago
Opposition councillors back SNP bid to remove Tory Dumfries and Galloway Council leadership
Labour and Democratic Alliance members have put their names to an SNP motion of no confidence against the leader and depute leader.
Opposition councillors are backing the SNP's bid to remove Dumfries and Galloway Council's Tory leadership.
Labour and Democratic Alliance members have put their names to an SNP motion of no confidence against leader and depute convener Gail McGregor and depute leader and convener Malcolm Johnstone.
And that means more than half the 43 councillors representing the region are in favour of change at the top.
The SNP are pushing for change after seven Tories quit the group earlier this month.
That left the administration with just nine councillors, two fewer than the SNP.
The last two years have also seen the SNP budget proposal voted through, even though the Conservatives have been in administration.
The motion of no confidence - which is due to go before a special full council meeting on Monday - has been signed by all 11 SNP councillors, as well as all eight Labour councillors and all three members of the Democratic Alliance.
That takes the total number of councillors who have signed the motion to 22 - more than half of the 43 members who make up the council.
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Four councillors in the west of Dumfries and Galloway – Andrew Giusti, Chrissie Hill, David Inglis and Richard Marsh – quit the Tory administration to form a new group called Novantae as they wanted decisions made "closer to home".
Three more Tories – Ian Carruthers, Karen Carruthers and Andrew Wood – also resigned and formed the Dumfries and Galloway Independent Group.
