LABOUR has conceded defeat in a “Better Together” council ruled by Unionist parties until the SNP took over as the largest party in the area.
SNP councillors are now in the process of planning the formation of an administration in Midlothian after picking up two extra seats in the area at the expense of the Tories who fell from five to three councillors.
But the party is just shy of the number required to take over the administration and SNP councillor Kelly Parry (below) said they are willing to work with Labour.
She told The National: “Labour are saying to us they are allowing us to take the lead to form an administration to take the lead.
READ MORE: SNP councillors eye takeover of 'Better Together' council after topping poll
“They want to talk to us and we want to talk to them.
“That will take a wee bit of time and we will see where we agree and where we disagree and we can come to a formal decision ahead of [the first full council] meeting in a few weeks.
“If it comes to it we will take forward a minority SNP administration.”
Labour’s group leader Derek Milligan had previously run the minority administration in Midlothian which was propped up by the Tories.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “There will be discussions between the three parties to see what we can do but the SNP is the biggest party and we will be looking to them to take the lead.
“We do not intend to go into opposition like in Westminster. We will not oppose things just to oppose them.
“There are hard decisions to be made and we need to ensure we protect our services. Where we can find agreement we will work together and be pragmatic.”
Parry said discussions would be taking place over the coming weeks and an arrangement will need to be worked out by the end of May.
She added: “We want to find points of agreement and I’m sure Labour will be looking at the manifesto they ran on and we’re looking at ours and where we might agree, where we might disagree and where we might compromise.
READ MORE: LibDems rule out deal with SNP to run Edinburgh Council
“We want to work for the betterment of all Midlothian communities no matter how voters voted.”
While Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has ruled out formal coalitions in council administrations, his instructions have been vague and leave open the possibility of informal arrangements with other parties.
He has also expressed a preference for forming minority administrations in councils where the party has large enough numbers.
The Tories are in last place in Midlothian out of the three parties. The SNP has said their councillors will not work with the Conservatives.
Midlothian is one of 21 councils where the SNP clinched the top spot, including Dundee - the only place they took an outright majority.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel