Angus Council SNP administration has toppled after bombshell no confidence vote

A special meeting of the full council held on Tuesday saw councillors vote 14-13 to remove the SNP administration from power.

A new Conservative, Labour and Independent coalition administration – totalling 13 councillors – will now take control of the 28-member local authority.

Former SNP deputy leader George Meechan, who stepped down from the post and the administration earlier this month, is set to become the leader of the new administration.

Mr Meechan said the “complexities of various working relationships” in the ruling group had become “too significant to overcome.”

It led to the requisition request for the special meeting.

Conservative Councillor Derek Wann will serve as deputy leader.

Another special council meeting will be set to decide other senior posts.

Until then, all scheduled committee meetings are set to be delayed.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Councillor Wann accused the administration of “faltering” and focusing on the wrong priorities.

He also criticised Councillor Bill Duff of “accelerating” its decline.

However, Mr Duff defended the SNP administration and cited the new £66.5 million Monifieth High School campus and Arbroath’s Places for Everyone project as major achievements.

But this was not enough to secure the votes that would have saved the SNP administration.

The new administration includes: George Meechan (Independent), Tommy Stewart (Independent), Ian McLaren (Indepenent), Heather Doran (Scottish Labour), Jill Scott (Independent), Derek Wann (Conservative), Gavin Nicol (Conservative), Louise Nicol (Concservative), Iain Gall (Conservative), Ross Greig (Conservative), Jack Cruickshanks (Conservative), Craig Fotheringham (Conservative), Ronnie Proctor (Conservative).

Councillor Meechan said: “It’s not something we were looking forward to but something we think was needed. We hope moving forward we will be more aligned to what the people of Angus want. I think what they want is to see more conjoined working. They want to be heard and all of those things we are prepared to do. We will listen and do what is best for the people of Angus.”