NLC meeting moved due to COSLA event

Concern has been expressed about the decision to re-schedule a council meeting so a group of elected representatives can visit Crieff Hydro.
Crieff HydroCrieff Hydro
Crieff Hydro

The full council meeting scheduled for Thursday, October 6, has been stood down to allow six senior councillors to attend the annual conference of COSLA at the Perthshire hotel.

The council meeting has coincided with previous events in the past, but it has not been moved until now. Councillors will now meet at Motherwell Civic Centre on Monday, October 3.

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A number of councillors are said to be unhappy at the move, and even within the Labour group eyebrows have been raised.

One Labour councillor revealed: “The full council meeting’s coincided with the COSLA conference in the past, but it’s never been moved.

“The former council leader Jim McCabe would always attend the full council meeting even if he had to leave early to get to the COSLA event.”

Independent councillor Alan O’Brien slammed the move which he sees as too costly.

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He said: “It seems that this meeting is so important it supersedes council business and will involve providing dinner and a room, even though it is less than an hour away from North Lanarkshire.”

Council leader Jim Logue claims the conference is an important opportunity to share ideas.

He said: “The conference is one of the few occasions when senior councillors from across Scotland come together to discuss major issues with cabinet secretaries, MSPs and academics

“The date for the conference itself was re-arranged because it clashed with the EU referendum. As such, the provost decided in mid-August to change the date for the council meeting giving councillors six weeks notice.

“The conference will be attended by all five Scottish party political leaders, including the First Minister.

“It also involves sharing ideas and opinions with ministers from the Scottish Government.”

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