Two West Dunbartonshire councillors quit Labour group ahead of Provost decision
dailyrecord.co.ukWest Dunbartonshire’s Labour group has been rocked by two councillors quitting the party.Clydebank councillors Danny Lennie and June McKay both handed in their membership cards last week, and will now sit as independents - with the Lennox understanding that their decision relates to a disagreement over who the next Provost should be.It means that the party no longer has majority control over the local authority.Members of WDC will decide tomorrow (Wednesday) who will replace Douglas McAllister as Provost, after the Kilpatrick member was elected as the region’s MP in July.Deputy leader of WDC, Leven councillor Michelle McGinty, is the frontrunner to replace Mr McAllister in the position - which is the civic head of a council, responsible for chairing council meetings, and representing the local authority on civic and ceremonial occasions.However, the decision to put forward Councillor McGinty is believed to have inflamed tensions between the Clydebank section of the Labour group and the Dumbarton and Alexandria contingent.It is understood the Clydebank members feel underrepresented - Lomond councillor Martin Rooney is already leader of the council.Councillor Lennie had been a Labour member for the Clydebank Waterfront ward since 2017 and served as convenor of the corporate services committee.Councillor McKay was elected to represent Waterfront in 2022 and was chair of the licensing board.Both will continue to sit as independents.Their decision to quit means Labour no longer have a majority on WDC - which they secured in 2022 - but remain the largest party and look set to continue governing as a minority administration.
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