Falkirk Council: SNP lose committee seats after councillor resigns

Councillor Laura Murtagh left the party in July and now represents Carse, Kinnaird and Tryst as an Independent.

Her resignation took the number of SNP councillors down to 11, just two more than the Labour group which has nine members. The Conservative group remains at five and there are now five Independents.

At the latest meeting of Falkirk Council, members agreed that the SNP and Labour should get four seats each on the council’s largest committees: executive; education, children & young people executive; and the planning committee. The Conservatives and Independents will now have two places each.

There will also be a change in the two committees that have ten members – the licensing board and civic licensing – to better reflect the numbers.

Councillors agreed that the Conservatives would lose one of their places on the licensing board to an Independent, while the Independents will get an extra seat on civic licensing.

It was agreed that Conservative councillor Sarah Patrick will be replaced on the licensing board by Independent councillor Robert Spears.

Mrs Murtagh, who was the SNP’s education portfolio holder when she resigned, also stood down as the council’s representative on CoSLA’s children & young people board. Members agreed that the current education portfolio holder, Councillor Iain Sinclair, should take her place on the board.

Mr Sinclair will also replace Mrs Murtagh on the board of SEEMiS (Strathclyde Educational Establishments Management Information System), which is used by all Scottish Councils to support electronic education administration within council headquarters and schools.