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Independents poised to lead new coalition to run Highland Council

Highland Council leader Margaret Davidson is advocating 21st century library provision for the Highlands. 
Picture by Sandy McCook
Highland Council leader Margaret Davidson is advocating 21st century library provision for the Highlands. Picture by Sandy McCook

Independents are poised to regain control of Highland Council – and could ask a world-renowned economist to repair the authority’s battered finances.

Margaret Davidson is expected to be reinstalled as Independent council leader today or tomorrow after warring political parties ruled out working together.

And she could seek the help of acclaimed Scottish economist Professor Ronald MacDonald to balance the books of the budget-cutting council – after he was elected last week as an Independent councillor for Skye.

Last night, the 28-strong Independent group was said to be in the “driving seat” amid a flurry of behind-the-scenes negotiations at the local authority’s Glenurquhart Road headquarters in Inverness.

After being returned as the biggest group, the only realistic alternative to another Independent-led administration was a rainbow coalition involving the SNP and most of the other parties.

But the 10 Liberal Democrats all but ended that chance over the weekend when it ruled out working with the 22-strong SNP block or the 10 new Conservative councillors.

The move meant that the Independents can effectively pick which party they want to run the council with.

Yesterday, Mrs Davidson and her group’s negotiators met three of the other political group leaders, and was due to hold talks with the other two today.

She will then present the various coalition options to a meeting of the Independents later today, after which the terms of the deal are expected to be finalised and announced this afternoon or tomorrow.

Mrs Davidson told the Press and Journal last night that the 28 Independents were “all united” and were “still talking to every group”.

A leading Independent in the last council, outgoing education committee chairman Drew Millar, predicted that an Independent-Lib Dem alliance was by far the most likely outcome of the talks.

However, that would only give the administration a majority of one, and could lead to Labour’s three councillors entering the fray to play a key role.

While remaining tight-lipped last night, the SNP group was also still hopeful of joining forces with the Independents in what it argues would be the most stable of all coalitions, commanding 50 of the 74 seats.

Meanwhile, Prof MacDonald’s election, combined with the shock defeat of previous budget leader Bill Fernie, has triggered speculation that the economist could be handed a high-profile job in any new administration.

The former Adam Smith Chair of Political Economy at Glasgow University said last night that he would consider any job offers “if suitable”.

The academic, who campaigned against Scottish independence, played a leading role in the campaign against downgrading Portree’s hospital and said he would be keen to work with Nicola Sinclair, a newly-elected Independent councillor for Wick and East Caithness, who was secretary of the Caithness Health Action Team, which was also formed to fight NHS cuts.

Mr Millar, who served in the council for 25 years, was a shock casualty in the Skye ward where Prof MacDonald was elected.

He issued a warning to his successors last night, saying: “The biggest problem that the council is going to face is the next budget which, if predictions are correct, will probably require another £15million to £20million of savings.

“I don’t know where the council are going to go to get these savings.”

Mr Millar, who admitted he was “bruised and disappointed” by his defeat, expected that the Independents would lead the next administration.

“My understanding would be the only possibility would be the Independents and the Lib Dems,” he said.

“The logical alternative would be the Independents and SNP but that didn’t work in the past and I would be surprised if that happened.”

He added: “It’s going to be very interesting over the next few days.”