WestInverness.org.uk

A new broad-based administration for Highland Council has been agreed following lengthy talks between Independents, Liberal Democrats and Labour groups on the Council.

A new land and environment committee will be set up, de-centralisation measures will be introduced, and the programme of the administration agreed in 2007 between SNP and Independents will be reviewed.

Independent Sandy Park will remain as Convenor of the Council with Lib Dems Michael Foxley coming in as Leader of the Administration and David Alston in charge of Council budgets. Independent convenors of four main strategic committees [ Housing & Social Work, Transport, Environment & Community Services, Resources and Gaelic] will remain in post, with Liberal Democrat nominees taking the vice-convenorships except Transport, Environment & Community Services Committee where Lochaber Labour councillor Brian Murphy will become vice-chair. His Inverness Labour colleague Jimmy Gray will be proposed as Provost of Inverness at the next meeting of the Inverness City Committee.

The opposition will comprise SNP and Non-aligned councillors.

The council membership of 80 currently comprises:

Independents - 30
Liberal Democrats - 20
Labour - 7

SNP - 17
Non-aligned members - 6

Talks are continuing between Liberal Democrat, Labour and Independent groups on Highland Council to set up a new coalition to run the authority following the collapse of the Independent/SNP administration set up in May 2007. This ended in acrimony when the SNP quit just 13 months later.

While formal agreement has not yet been reached, hopes are high that the more broadly-based adminsitration will be agreed soon. The Council is currently in recess and the next cycle of meetings is scheduled to start in early August, by which time arrangements will require to be in place.

Meantime, allegiences continue to shift, with the number of  Non-aligned councillors rising to five or possibly even six, mainly at the expense of the Independent group. As at 4th July the Council composition was as follows:

Independent 31 (or possibly 30)
Liberal Democrat  20
SNP 17
Labour 7
Non-aligned 5 (or possibly 6)

Total number of councillors = 80