Minority SNP administration to be formed in Perth and Kinross Council after no coalition arrangement

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Perth and Kinross Council's SNP group has secured the support needed to form a minority administration. The SNP group has swollen from 13 to 16 councillors following last week's local elections - making it the biggest political group in Perth and Kinross Council.

But there will be no coalition arrangement.The SNP will seek to go it alone as a minority administration with 16 out of the 40 councillors.Talks have been ongoing since the results of the May 5 elections were declared on Friday when the Conservative group - which was laterally in a minority administration - reduced from 18 councillors to 14.Last night SNP group leader Grant Laing announced: "I am pleased to be able to confirm that, following discussions with other elected members, sufficient support has been obtained to allow the SNP to form a minority administration."Whilst there is not a desire for a coalition administration, a majority of councillors have acknowledged that, as the largest group, the SNP has the right to have the opportunity to form the new administration in line with the election result. "These discussions over the weekend and today (May 10) have been professional and productive, with many elected members across the spectrum sharing key priorities for the future of Perth and Kinross, and we look forward to working collaboratively with others on developing a cross-party, five-year plan in line with these shared objectives. “We are confident that this collegial and mature approach to local government is what the people of Perth and Kinross want to see from their elected representatives. "We certainly wish to have mutually respectful and constructive relationships with others to ensure the best outcomes for all who live in, work in, or visit