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SNP takes over council after Conservatives resign

BBC A man with greying brown hair and a beard in a dark jacket, blue jumper and shirt stands next to a woman with dark hair and glasses in a grey jacket with an SNP lanyard round her neckBBC
Stephen Thompson and Katie Hagmann are the council's new leader and deputy leader

The SNP has taken control of Dumfries and Galloway Council after its Conservative leader and deputy leader resigned.

Gail Macgregor and Malcolm Johnstone stepped down in the face of a vote of no confidence in their leadership.

Councillors then voted 16 to 10 - with 16 abstentions - in favour of the SNP's Stephen Thompson and Katie Hagmann becoming leader and deputy leader.

Mr Thompson previously led the council before stepping down after losing a budget vote in 2023.

He said the number of abstentions in the vote showed they would have to work closely with other groups in order to get things done.

However, Mr Thompson said there were a lot of areas of "common interest" which they could work upon.

"It is our job now to try and lead on that," he said.

Mr Thompson said that as the biggest group on the council the SNP had to "stand up and take risk".

"We are going to have to work hard with the other groups to find common ground," he added.

A woman with dark, pulled back hair and glasses in a patterned blouse stands in front of Dumfries and Galloway Council headquarters
Gail Macgregor said she was proud of her administration's record

The events which triggered the change in leadership started a fortnight ago.

Four Conservatives left to form a new group called Novantae over claims of a "failure to listen" to the west of the region.

Another three created the Dumfries and Galloway Independent Group.

The moves left the Conservatives with just nine members from a previous representation of 16 and led to the request for a special meeting to consider a vote of no confidence.

It prompted Ms Macgregor to "reluctantly" submit her resignation as leader.

"I'm proud of the administration's record of delivery under my leadership, especially our investment in roads and boosting the local economy," she said.

"However, it's become increasingly clear that the town-hall arithmetic will prevent the administration functioning effectively and continuing to deliver for the people of Dumfries and Galloway."

'Internal division'

A motion to give Mr Thompson the leadership role along with Ms Hagmann as his deputy was voted through by councillors.

An amendment which was tabled by Novantae councillor Andrew Giusti - which would have seen the independent group's Ian Carruthers appointed leader on a temporary basis - failed to secure sufficient support.

The Labour group's Carolyne Wilson said they did not intend to put forward any leadership nominations of their own.

"We believe that policy must come before position - our communities want a council that works for them, not one that is distracted by internal division," she said.