Labour, Conservatives and independents to form administration at Aberdeen City Council

Aberdeen: Picture credit - michimaya via Flickr

The Labour group in Aberdeen City Council look set to defy the party’s national executive and form a coalition with the Conservatives.

The local authority has received a signed agreement from Labour, the Conservatives and independents stating their intention to form an administration.

However, Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said councillors entering into a coalition with the Tories, against the ruling of the national executive, would face disciplinary action.

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Commenting on today’s meeting of Aberdeen City Council, a Scottish Labour spokesperson said: “A panel of the Scottish executive committee (SEC) of the Scottish Labour Party, made up of trade union representatives, local party representatives, affiliated groups and the leadership, took the decision on Tuesday evening to reject a proposed power-sharing deal in Aberdeen.

"Labour’s approach has been clear and consistent: we absolutely cannot do any deal with another party if it would result in further austerity being imposed on local communities. The Conservatives are a pro-austerity party and the SEC panel did not accept that working families in Aberdeen would be protected from further cuts as the result of the proposed deal with the Tories. 

“As a result, any Labour councillor who does not stand down from this multi-party arrangement will be in breach of Labour Party rules and may be suspended from the party.”

The proposed administration would have a majority after Liberal Democrat councillor Jennifer Stewart left the party to become an independent.

The SNP returned 19 councillors in the city, with the Conservatives on 11 and Labour on nine. The Liberal Democrats originally won four seats with two independent councillors.