Opposition parties claim Dumfries and Galloway Council has descended into 'chaos'
Opposition parties claim Dumfries and Galloway Council has descended into 'chaos'.
The SNP group has submitted a vote of no confidence in the Conservative administration after seven councillors quit the group.
And as the SNP budget has been voted through for the past two years – despite them not being in power – the party is pushing for a fresh vote on council leadership.
An emergency full council meeting is expected to be held within the next fortnight
Depute group leader, Katie Hagmann, said: 'We have submitted a motion of no confidence in the current administration.
'The SNP group are the biggest group. The council is operating on an SNP budget.
'We've got business to do, we've got to delivery for the people of Dumfries and Galloway – and we're determined to do that.'
The minority Conservative administration has been in control of the council since leader Stephen Thompson quit as leader following his SNP group's budget being defeated.
The past two years have seen an SNP budget voted through but the Tories remain in administration.
Group leader, Gail Macgregor, told ITV Border: It will be for full council to decide the future of the administration and myself.
Clearly, it's been really disappointing that we've had members leave the group and there's been various reasons for that.
'I'm not going to kneejerk at the moment. We have had some immense successes over the past two years under my leadership.
"Going forward in the next two weeks I don't know what will happen. I would like to assure people that my heart is always in delivering for the region and creating that stability. This is a chink in the road that I didn't expect.
"We're here to represent the region. There's 43 members on that council and it's absolutely incumbent on us to work together for the betterment of the region and the services we provide."
The situation has been slammed by the Labour group, which has eight members.
Depute group leader, Carolyne Wilson, said: 'When the Conservatives took control of the council, they promised stability, but instead they've delivered chaos. Years of in-fighting in their group left the council paralysed and incapable of delivering for local people.
'While the attainment gap in our schools grows, social care is on its knees, the bus network is in crisis and the local economy is being held back by council decisions, the Tory leadership has been missing in action – too busy putting their party before the needs of our region.
'Councillors are elected to serve our communities. But those communities across Dumfries and Galloway will look on this mess with dismay – but sadly, not with surprise.
'The Conservatives have a track record of falling apart, but even they have surpassed themselves by splitting into not two, but three separate groups.'
Four councillors in the west of Dumfries and Galloway – Andrew Giusti, Chrissie Hill, David Inglis and Richard Marsh – have quit the Tory administration to form a new group called Novantae.
Three more – Ian Carruthers, Karen Carruthers and Andrew Wood – have also resigned and are now in the Dumfries and Galloway Independent Group.
Both Ian and Karen Carruthers were among seven councillors who quit the Conservative group in 2013, with Ian Carruthers becoming the then Tory group leader following the elections in 2017.
A council spokesman said: 'Dumfries and Galloway Council can confirm that seven councillors have resigned from the Conservative group. The council's website has been updated.
'Four of the councillors have formed a new political group called Novantae – councillors Richard Marsh, Chrissie Hill, Andrew Giusti and David Inglis.
'Three of the councillors have informed council officers that they have set up a separate group and they intend to call it The Dumfries and Galloway Independent Group. These are councillors Ian Carruthers, Karen Carruthers and Andrew Wood.
'The council will not be commenting further at this time.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Police Scotland overtime bill hits £85,000 per day
The figures show that £28.15 million was spent on overtime for officers in 2024/25, as well as an additional £3.4 million for other police staff. It is a combined 10% rise on the previous year but has dropped from 2022/23 when there was a major policing operation following the death of the Queen. There are growing concerns about this year's bill after President Donald Trump's recent visit to Scotland as well as the demands of events such as the sold-out Oasis run at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh. SPF general secretary David Kennedy said: 'As demand on policing continues to increase – whether through major events, public safety operations, or everyday calls for service – there simply are not enough officers to meet the workload within normal working hours. 'The reality is that overtime is no longer a contingency – it has become a necessity to maintain even the most basic levels of public safety. This is unsustainable, both financially and in terms of officer wellbeing. 'Officers are regularly being asked to sacrifice their rest days, family time, and personal health to plug gaps caused by years of underinvestment in policing. 'We cannot continue to rely on a shrinking workforce to deliver a growing remit. 'The rising cost of overtime is not a budget management issue – it is a symptom of a wider crisis in police numbers that must be addressed urgently through meaningful investment in recruitment, retention, and support for serving officers.' The data was obtained by 1919 through a FOI request and showed that £42,689,162 was spent on officers' overtime in 2022/23 – the year the Queen died – falling to £25,305,080 a year later and rising again to £28,150,447 in the most recent financial year. Read More On top of that, overtime paid to staff totalled £11.24m and periods of sickness, maternity leave and annual leave not included. Scottish Labour justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill told 1919: 'These eyewatering figures lay bare the immense pressure Police Scotland is under. 'Police officer numbers have collapsed over recent years and big events have piled pressure onto remaining officers. 'There is no evidence that the Scottish Government is taking any serious steps to address this, therefore this is likely to continue. 'Increasing reliance on overtime is costing Police Scotland thousands of pounds a day and exhausting police officers. 'Police officers cannot keep being forced to go above and beyond to paper over the cracks of SNP failure – the [[SNP]] must work with Police Scotland to ensure it has the officers it needs to keep our communities safe.' Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur added: '[[SNP]] ministers pushed through the creation of a single national force with the promise of significant cost savings which could be invested elsewhere in the service. 'Instead we have seen falling officer numbers, police counters closing and officers run ragged. 'The cases that officers are being called to attend are increasingly complex and time consuming. 'One solution we have proposed to provide mental health workers to work alongside the police and help people in need. 'Officers should not be asked to work beyond their limits day after day. 'After so many years of worsening conditions, it will be hard work for the Justice Secretary to win back trust and convince officers she is in their corner.' While recruitment and deployment are operational matters for the chief constable, a Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'We are investing a record £1.64 billion for policing this year, and our continued investment enabled Police Scotland to take on more recruits in the last financial year than at any time since 2013, with further intakes planned throughout 2025. 'Scotland continues to have more police officers per capita than England and Wales and recorded crime has fallen by more than half since 1991.'
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Tories demand Reeves ‘urgently rule out' investment tax hikes
The Tories claim scrapping the £500 dividend allowance will drag an estimated 5.22 million more people into paying investment levies. The party is seeking to pile pressure on ministers after a memo sent by Angela Rayner to Ms Reeves, in which the Deputy Prime Minister suggested a series of tax hikes, was leaked to the press. In the document, Ms Rayner proposed removing the dividend allowance to raise around £325 million a year in revenue, as well as axing inheritance tax relief for AIM shares and increasing dividend tax rates, the Telegraph reported. Shadow chancellor Mel Stride said: 'The Government need to urgently rule out these tax hikes on savers and investors before speculation causes further economic harm. 'Labour don't understand how business works and how to create growth. More taxes on investment, entrepreneurship and saving are the last thing our economy needs right now.' The Government's U-turns over welfare reform and winter fuel payments have left the Chancellor with a multibillion-pound black hole to fill, fuelling speculation that she will seek to raise revenue through tax hikes. The Tories claimed axing the dividend allowance would drag 'an estimated 5.22 million more people into paying dividend tax'. This figure appears to be based on an assumption that at least 8.82 million people in the UK hold shares that pay dividends. Some 3.6 million are already subject to dividend tax, according to data obtained by investment platform AJ Bell through a Freedom of Information request. The Chancellor last year said she would not be 'coming back with more borrowing or more taxes' after her first budget but has since refused to rule out raising specific levies, saying it would be 'irresponsible' to do so. A Labour Party spokesperson said: 'The Conservatives have some brass neck. They've still not apologised for the damage caused by the Liz Truss mini-Budget, nor the £22 billion black hole they left – which hammered firms and families across the country. 'Labour is doing more to support business than the Tories ever could. 'We've already delivered three historic trade deals and four interest rate cuts – to reduce costs and put money back in people's pockets.'
Leader Live
2 hours ago
- Leader Live
Tories demand Reeves ‘urgently rule out' investment tax hikes
The Tories claim scrapping the £500 dividend allowance will drag an estimated 5.22 million more people into paying investment levies. The party is seeking to pile pressure on ministers after a memo sent by Angela Rayner to Ms Reeves, in which the Deputy Prime Minister suggested a series of tax hikes, was leaked to the press. In the document, Ms Rayner proposed removing the dividend allowance to raise around £325 million a year in revenue, as well as axing inheritance tax relief for AIM shares and increasing dividend tax rates, the Telegraph reported. Shadow chancellor Mel Stride said: 'The Government need to urgently rule out these tax hikes on savers and investors before speculation causes further economic harm. 'Labour don't understand how business works and how to create growth. More taxes on investment, entrepreneurship and saving are the last thing our economy needs right now.' The Government's U-turns over welfare reform and winter fuel payments have left the Chancellor with a multibillion-pound black hole to fill, fuelling speculation that she will seek to raise revenue through tax hikes. The Tories claimed axing the dividend allowance would drag 'an estimated 5.22 million more people into paying dividend tax'. This figure appears to be based on an assumption that at least 8.82 million people in the UK hold shares that pay dividends. Some 3.6 million are already subject to dividend tax, according to data obtained by investment platform AJ Bell through a Freedom of Information request. The Chancellor last year said she would not be 'coming back with more borrowing or more taxes' after her first budget but has since refused to rule out raising specific levies, saying it would be 'irresponsible' to do so. A Labour Party spokesperson said: 'The Conservatives have some brass neck. They've still not apologised for the damage caused by the Liz Truss mini-Budget, nor the £22 billion black hole they left – which hammered firms and families across the country. 'Labour is doing more to support business than the Tories ever could. 'We've already delivered three historic trade deals and four interest rate cuts – to reduce costs and put money back in people's pockets.'
