Now It’s Official – Falkirk Council Labour Group Are Incompetent

There was humiliation for Falkirk Council Labour Leader when her own party’s Provost ruled out an amendment to an SNP motion on the grounds of competence.

There was an unexpected end to the debate on the retention of rural bus services instigated by SNP member for the upper Braes Ward, Gordon Hughes.

Councillor Hughes had raised a motion within the council seeking a report from officers into the number of rural bus services axed since 1997 under the criteria introduced by the Labour Administration at that time. This follows the precedent set at the council’s budget meeting when a single service axed because less than three passengers a day were using it was reinstated against officers advice. The late night bus to Slamannan was understood to be demanded by Upper Braes Labour member, John McLuckie, who within the last week has passed his driving test and is himself a Slamannan resident.

Councillor Hughes had demanded a rethink now that one exception to the criteria for services taken off to Avonbridge, California, Whitecross, Maddiston and Shielhill and asked why there was no campaign from the Labour member for busses to these communities.

However, it was when Council Leader Linda Gow and Shieldhill resident rose to move the Labour amendment that would block the review of services to other villages that pandemonium broke out.

In a poorly worded amendment Mrs Gow sought to place responsibility onto the SNP government for refusing the increase the fuel subsidy to transport providers in line with inflation.

SNP group leader, David Alexander, immediately informed the council that the increase had been 7%, higher than the UK level and three times the rate of inflation.

A petted lipped Councillor Gow denied this was true and a twenty minute recess was called to allow the facts to be checked.

On return to the chamber Councillor Alexander read the verbatim passage from the budget bill drawn directly from the Scottish Government’s website that confirmed the accuracy of the SNP figures and demonstrated the incompetence of the Labour amendment writers.

Bizarrely rather than accept she had been found wanting in terms of the level and accuracy of research undertaken Gow continued to argue against the Scottish Government’s figures claiming they were wrong and she was correct to hoots of laughter.

After an age dithering Provost Pat Reid put her out of her misery by ruling the Labour amendment incompetent and therefore approving the SNP motion.

A delighted Gordon Hughes said,

“I have never seen anything like it in all of the years I have been involved in politics.

Labour appear to believe that they can bludgeon anything through the council but the SNP were able to demonstrate what we already knew, that Labour and completely incompetent.

The report I asked for will now be produced and I can argue my case for the whole of the Upper Braes area not just the village I live in.

I know that other SNP Councillors representing rural areas will be doing likewise and if Labour continue to discriminate against these communities then will take the fight right into the heart of the communities themselves.”