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Council leader resigns

March 3, 2010

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Steven Purcell has officially resigned as the Leader of Glasgow City Council.
A statement from his legal team cited reasons of ‘exhaustion’ from ‘added pressures’ of the Commonwealth Games and the SPT scandal led to his decision.
Councillor Jim Coleman, Deputy Leader of Glasgow City Council, will now lead the Council.
He said: ‘The Labour group has accepted Councillor Purcell’s resignation as Leader.
‘What’s important now is that the people of Glasgow know that as far as the Council is concerned, it’s business as usual.
‘The administration will continue to provide leadership for the city as a whole. As always, our focus is firmly on Glasgow’s priorities.’
Councillor Purcell, 37, who grew up in Yoker, joined The Labour Party in 1986 and was elected as Leader of the Council in May 2005.
A vigorous and tenacious ground-level operator many tipped Purcell to go on and lead the Scottish Labour Party.
Peter Watson, of Levy & McRae solicitors, today issued the following statement on behalf of his client, Councillor Steven Purcell.
‘My client is now resting and recovering from exhaustion in the care of professionals.
‘Steven does this with a heavy heart but the strain of running one of the UK’s largest authorities combined with the added pressures of the Commonwealth Games planning and the controversy over Strathclyde Passenger Transport has just proved too much for a man who lived and breathed Glasgow 24 hours a day.’
The Labour Party has been shocked by the news.
Michael Connarty, MP for Linlithgow and East Falkirk Constituency, knows about the potential pitfalls facing a relatively young man in a powerful position.
He was leader of Stirling Council when he was 33 and stayed in the job for 10 years and understands the issues that can come with top local authority job.
He said: ‘The leader’s office in Glasgow City Chambers can be a very lonely place indeed.
‘When you plunge from grace there is no support and there is very little pastoral care from the political world.
‘I’m sad to hear this news as Steven Purcell has done amazing things for the city of Glasgow.’

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Written by Erik Geddes · Filed Under Features, Glasgow East, Glasgow North, Glasgow South, Glasgow West, Local News, News, Top Stories 


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