Statement from Cllr. Brian Collins
Leader of the SNP Group on Dumfries & Galloway Council Cllr. Brian Collins this morning issued the following statement:
“It is with considerable regret that SNP Councillors have decided to leave the Administration. This decision has not been taken lightly but our serious concerns regarding the conduct of this Administration have not proved possible to resolve.
“In particular, we have serious concerns that the decision taken by the Education Committee last Tuesday did not reflect the agreement we had sought with our Administration partners. We cannot be part of an Administration where agreements are amended or over-ruled.
“We are also aware, as the Leader of the Council and Chairman of the Education Committee will also be aware, that the Scottish Government offered to support the creation of the Learning Hub if it was to be located at the Crichton. This offer of support was not pursued, even to the extent of determining what this support might be.
“Worse still, that offer was not disclosed to the Education Committee, even though the agreement we thought we had with our Administration partners would have allowed the cases for both sites to be worked up to let members make an informed decision.
“To add insult to injury, Labour politicians then issued press releases calling for Scottish Government support for the Learning Hub at King George V, fully in the knowledge that support had only ever been offered for it to be located at the Crichton.
“This is no way to do business and the SNP Group will not legitimise such an approach with our support. We have only ever sought to do the best for the people we are elected to serve. That remains our only priority but it is now clear this can only be achieved if we are not part of the Administration.”
