Labour have insisted that they did not abstain from voting in order to allow the Conservatives to take control of South Ayrshire Council.
The decision by the Labour group to sit on their hands during the election of the new administration opened the door for the Conservatives, as the largest party, to form a minority administration.
However, Labour leader Councillor Brian McGinley said that the decision was not taken in order to allow the Conservatives to take control, while promising to work with them to ‘stabilise’ the council.
Cllr McGinley had previously accused the SNP and Conservatives of doing a deal after the SNP announced its plan to
form a minority administration.
He said: “The Labour members abstained because we did not have the numbers to carry the vote and we refused to put either the Tories or the SNP into power because we do not think that they are good for Scotland.
“Now that the Tories have been elected, as the largest group, we will work collegiately with them to stabilise the governance of the council and drive forward the agenda that Labour voters want us to advance.
“We are very clear that we will not form part of the administration but will take roles that are oppositional and scrutiny based.”
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 The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.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 here