THE Conservative group will continue as the administration of Dumfries and Galloway it seems – despite being unable to pass their own budget plans for the year ahead.
It is now two weeks on from the annual budget meeting where the SNP financial proposals for 2025/26 were voted through, with the support of Labour councillors.
The same scenario occurred the previous year, and the Conservatives carried on as the council administration regardless of the fact they were presiding over their rivals’ budget plans.
And this week council leader Gail Macgregor, above left, insisted that her Conservative group is still the strongest party to lead the local authority.
She said: “We will continue the hard work required to deliver on the priorities of our communities across Dumfries and Galloway.”
The Tories are still the largest political group, with 16 out of the 43 elected members serving the region.
Councillor Macgregor, who serves the Annandale North ward, argued that the budget process is always “extremely difficult”, but added: “The Conservative group in Dumfries and Galloway put forward policies that were fair to the taxpayer and would have protected local services.
“This came despite being short-changed once again by the SNP government in Edinburgh who are all too happy to pass the buck to councils and leave us to make impossible decisions.
“I am deeply disappointed that councillors in other political parties did not take the same common-sense and grown-up approach to agreeing the administration budget that we put forward.
“As I said during the budget meeting, no one person has a monopoly on good ideas, all 43 elected members count which was why I was eager to capture other groups’ asks within the consolidated motion we agreed.
“Despite this collaborative approach, SNP and Labour still preferred to play political games.
“Ultimately it is local people who pay the price for that sort of posturing which puts their own and party interests above those of local people.”
Councillor Stephen Thompson, leader of the SNP group, said: “We work hard to make the most of our role in opposition and were able to propose an alternative budget and motion that got support on the day.
“It feels significant – this has happened twice in a row now and naturally raises serious questions about positive leadership coming from the current administration.
“When it comes to winning key votes and setting clear direction it looks like members across the chamber are finding it more effective to drive from the back seat.”
