As reported in today's Courier, the Liberal Democrats on Dundee City Council have decided that, as presently constituted, the so-called Changing for the Future Board, is not something we will be prepared to support and, as Group Leader, I will not attend the Board's meetings.At last Monday's Policy & Resources Committee, the Labour Group Leader proposed and I seconded an amendment that would have made the Board open and transparent and would have also ensured the trades unions had representation on it. The SNP administration rejected this reasonable request in the usual "our way or no way" approach we all too regularly see from the SNP.
The events of the past week have done little to show that the SNP is in any mood for genuine co-operation with the others on the council and one can only conclude that the SNP administration simply views the Board as convenient camouflage for the cuts in services they intend to make.
I have always said that all on the City Council should be working together to the good of Dundee at a time of an extremely challenging financial situation. When the SNP starts to give a little and stops expecting absolutely everything their way, a spirit of co-operation will be possible. But, secret cabals are absolutely not the right way forward.