SCOTTISH Labour have seen a “disaster” in the capital after their councillors failed to get their budget through – instead having to back proposals from the opposition.
The failure has led to calls for the leader of Edinburgh Council, Cammy Day, to resign.
Despite having just 13 councillors, Day’s Labour has been in control of a minority administration on Edinburgh Council since the 2022 local elections after they struck a deal with the Tories and LibDems.
On a council with 63 seats, Labour were always going to have to go cap in hand to other parties in order to get their budget over the line.
However, on Thursday afternoon they failed. The party's controversial proposals even saw one of their group, Ross McKenzie, resign from Labour in the middle of the full council meeting.
Claiming Edinburgh was controlled by a "British nationalist majority", McKenzie said: “I know how little work the administration has put into this budget and that could be down to personal failings but it’s also down to the political reality of the need to leave space in our motion for the Tory party.”
Tactical voting from the Greens saw the party’s councillors divide their votes, making Labour’s budget fall at the first hurdle with the fewest votes of all the proposals: one from Labour, one from the Tories, one from the LibDems, and a combined SNP-Green bid.
With theirs out of the running, Labour backed the LibDems’ budget, while the SNP and Greens voted together. As a result the Tories’ budget fell.
Finally, the three Unionist parties were forced to unite around the LibDems’ budget in order to block the SNP-Green proposal.
The passed budget contained a lower council tax rise than Labour had wanted (5% vs 5.75%). It also withdraws the council's commitment to no compulsory redundancies and proposes privatising waste and cleansing services.
Being forced to back an opposition budget was branded a “disaster” for Scottish Labour by SNP group leader Adam McVey, who called on Day to resign as council leader.
McVey said: “Labour have had a disaster today. They’ve lost their budget, lost a councilor, and effectively ended the council-house building programme. The city will lose a lot in this budget, housing problems will get worse.
"Labour voted to go down the road of privatising waste and cleansing services, and to end the council’s long-established no compulsory redundancy policy. They could have instead supported the budget proposed by progressive parties.
“Fundamentally, if Labour can’t pass a budget they can’t run the city. I really hope the council leader can show the integrity that’s now required and resign.”
McVey, formerly Edinburgh's council leader, added: "If my budget had been voted down ... I’d have had the integrity to resign."
Marco Biagi, a former Scottish Government minister turned councillor, added on Twitter: “Can Labour run a council with only 12 of the 63 members? Is the leadership of the three-party Unionist alliance shifting?
“And why did Labour councillors vote alongside the Tories for the Lib Dem proposals in the crunch final vote rather than the SNP/Green progressive budget alternative?”
Scottish Labour have been approached for comment.
Local democracy reporter Donald Turvill has a fuller explanation of the difference between the party's budget proposals here.
