Labour dominance of the local £20m Pride in Place Board has been criticised by Whitburn’s Reform councillor.
The board will oversee the spend of £20m of Westminster cash in Fauldhouse, Whitburn and Blackburn.
Councillor David McLennan told the Local Democracy Reporting service this week that the election of two Labour councillors to the Board was an election “by the party for the party.”
The Board held its first meeting this week and Local MP Gregor Poynton, writing on his Facebook page, said: “it feels like this exciting project is now properly underway.”
From the initial announcement of the fund by the Labour government, the opposition SNP group remained sceptical of what it believes is money repackaged from existing levelling-up schemes.
Councillor McLennan told the LDRS: “At a recent council meeting to elect two Councillors to the Board of the scheme, I raised concerns over the election of two members from the Labour party as being politically driven, to the potential detriment of constituents.
“As the newly-elected Reform UK councillor I fail to see why constituents of these areas should be potentially deprived of fair representation on the Board.”
Councillor McLennan told the LDRS that he had raised the issue of Labour dominance with the council leader Lawrence Fitzpatrick but had not had a satisfactory answer.
He claimed that Labour was trying to use its presence on the Board to boost its chances in upcoming council elections.
He added: “The Labour party ignored my request to be on the panel to provide a balanced political input and instead elected two members of their party so they could potentially use the Pride in Place programme as a tool to increase their chances of re-election next year.
“This is not a case of election by the people for the people, as by the Party for the Party”.
Councillor Fitzpatrick told the LDRS this week: “The council voted on George Paul as the council representative at a recent meeting. Cllr McLennan received no votes from any of the other parties. Cllr Paul has huge experience in serving his ward. “
In June Councillor McLennan stood for appointment to the Board after Conservative Angela Doran-Timpson questioned representation before a vote at a meeting of the full council.
She had argued that the Board covers two council wards with seven councillors including Councillor McLennan, the Provost, Labour’s Cathy Muldoon and three SNP councillors. All could have a voice, she argued.
In a vote, Councillor McLennan and the SNP’s Mary Dickson lost out to Labour Craig Meek, who represents Fauldhouse and George Paul, the long serving Whitburn councillor.
A report to the council in May said:” At least 51% of the membership of the Board should live or work within the boundaries of the neighbourhood.”
The rules state that the majority of Board members should be non-elected. The new Board must have a minimum of eight members, including the local MPs and MSPs. Labour argued in May that the eventual makeup of the Board could be determined by its members.
The Board is headed by a non-political voluntary chairman, Whitburn lawyer Eric Lumsden. He told the LDRS: “Questions about the appointment process of councillors are matters for West Lothian Council.
“My role is to ensure the Board operates effectively and fairly and that all Board members, regardless of background or political affiliation, work together to secure the best outcomes for Blackburn, Fauldhouse and Whitburn.”
By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter
