Turmoil as Tories quit Moray Council administration

MORAY Council has been thrown into confusion with its eight Tory councillors withdrawing from the administration.

The Conservative group announced its decision just before noon today, stating their unhappiness that two £90,000 per posts for senior officers have been advertised.

The Tories has been working in partnership with four Independent councillors since last May, forming the local authority’s administration.

The upshot is of today’s announcement is that nobody is now in overall charge of the council.

Conservative group leader, cllr Tim Eagle (Buckie) said: "It is with great regret that we have decided that we cannot continue. Moray Council faces enormous financial challenges and in our opinion there needed to be a much more developed programme of change and transformation along with a review of senior management and how the Council is structured.

We cannot continue in the same old way. There is clearly no appetite for the changes we feel are essential and the result is deadlock.

"We are very unhappy about the lack of progress that has taken place in recent weeks to address the issues facing the council and we simply cannot allow the situation to drift any longer."

Cllr Eagle made a personal plea to the council’s leader George Alexander (Independent, Forres).

He said: "I hope that Councillor Alexander, for whom I have great personal respect, will reflect on what has happened and why. Our door is always open but we will not participate in the administration unless there is a commitment to change and reform.

"Unless we do that we will see the essential services the council provides sliced away."

The conservative group said it has asked if thought would be given to a co-leadership position.

Having twin leaders, they claimed, would allow one councillor to continue with the day to day political management, while the other focused on change and transformation including looking at shared services. This was refused.

Moray Council currently has eight Tories, nine SNP, five Independents councillors on the administration, plus another three Independents who have formed the Alliance with the Labour councillors John Divers.