Lanarkshire councillor speaks out over party switch decision after leadership debacle

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The Airdrie councillor whose defection from the SNP handed control of North Lanarkshire to Labour insists his seismic decision “wasn’t made lightly” and with the aim of doing what he considered “best for the residents of North Lanarkshire”.Michael Coyle voted against his own party in last Thursday’s vital choice of a new leader of the authority, resulting in a knife-edge 38-37 win for Labour which ousted the SNP from power after only three months.Speaking exclusively to the Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser, he told how he made the decision for the dual reasons of his growing dissatisfaction with the party nationally plus his feeling that future budget cuts expected by the authority will require an “experienced administration” – and that he only fully finalised his vote in the last hour before the meeting.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android Councillor Coyle told Lanarkshire Live: “I’ve got to decide what’s best for the residents of North Lanarkshire – I had to look at everything and weigh it up, and I thought that was what I had to do.“I’d been feeling this way for the past few weeks with the way events in the SNP had been handled over a period of time; there’s been in-fighting and different things were happening within headquarters, and I just think a catalogue of events made me decide.“There will