North Lanarkshire Council leader to stand down

Scotland’s longest-standing council leader has announced that he is to stand down.

Jim McCabe, Labour leader of North Lanarkshire Council since 1998, will resign in February, after the council has set its budget for 2016/17.

The 75-year-old has indicated that he would like to take a step back to spend more time with family.

RELATED CONTENT

Life sciences innovation centre completed with the help of City Deal funding

Edinburgh Green councillors propose 4.3 per cent council tax rise

Budget cut for local government 'totally unacceptable' says councils

“Being leader of this council is all-consuming. I have young grandchildren and I’d very much like to spend more time with them,” said Councillor McCabe.

“Although I will stay on as a councillor, the time is now right to pass on the baton to a new leader who can drive the council forward in the future. It is up to the group to decide who that leader will be, but he or she will have my full support.”

Councillor McCabe said he was proud of the council’s achievements during his time as leader.

“I have overseen the investment of half a billion pounds in new schools and we have built hundreds of new houses.

“Our groundbreaking Youth Investment Programme has got more than 6,000 young people into work and we have been recognised by the Nuffield Trust as among the world leaders in delivering integrated social care.

He also mentioned the International Children’s Games in 2011, events for the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and a winning bid to host the British Transplant Games in 2017.

McCabe will formally resign at the Labour group’s AGM on 29 February, so that he can be involved in setting the local authority’s budget.

“My focus right now is on setting a budget,” he said.

“This has been made a hugely difficult task by the cuts we’ve experienced from the Scottish Government and we face some unpalatable choices.

“But we will do everything we can to protect services for the most vulnerable people in North Lanarkshire.

Councillor McCabe started work as a miner in 1955, becoming a fitter erector before working offshore.

From 1985 to 1997 he worked in the social work department of Strathclyde Regional Council.

He was elected to Motherwell District Council in 1992 and became depute leader of North Lanarkshire Council after the restructuring of local government in 1996, before being elected council leader in 1998.

With 15 months until the next council elections, the change of leadership next month will allow his successor time to muster their campaign to retain control in this traditionally Labour heartland, amid high polling for the SNP.