The SNP’s hopes of seizing control of Moray Council were in tatters last night after a Tory councillor announced he was returning to the local authority’s ruling administration.
The Nationalists had appeared poised for a power grab after Sonya Warren stormed to victory in the Buckie by-election.
That left the SNP as the biggest single group on the council with 11 seats.
But Elgin City South councillor James Allan announced yesterday that he was returning to the Independent-led administration – just months after quitting the group.
And his decision means that along with his Conservative colleague Allan Wright and 10 Independents the administration can now muster a dozen councillors – enough to keep the Nationalists at bay.
The SNP group admitted yesterday that its aspirations to lead the local authority were no longer viable following Councillor Allan’s move.
Its leader and Speyside Glenlivet councillor Pearl Paul said: “After winning the two recent by-elections in Moray our group has gained in strength, but the fact is we are still just 11 out of 26 councillors.
“We are not a majority by ourselves and although there are others we could work with, our numbers are not yet substantial enough to be able to deliver the positive change we really want.
“It concerns us hugely that Moray will continue to be lumbered with an ineffective administration with a serious lack of vision and strategy.
“But until we have the numbers needed to form a resilient administration we will continue to provide strong, effective and constructive scrutiny as the council’s principal opposition group.”
Elgin City South SNP councillor Graham Leadbitter added: “The people of Moray deserve far better than these administration shenanigans.
“It is incredible and frankly ridiculous that in the last six months the make-up of the Conservative croup in Moray Council has changed three times.”
Mr Allan resigned over the administration’s controversial Western Link Road proposal in November, saying he was no longer prepared to be part of a team which was “not interested in listening to the public”.
But yesterday he said: “With hindsight, I was maybe a bit too hasty in resigning from the administration group.
“It was difficult for me because I felt I was at odds with the rest of the group after voting against the Elgin Western Link Road application.
“I won’t always agree with what the administration group is doing but I have seen over the past few months that it is better to be at the heart of what is going on in the council than sitting on the sidelines.
“My colleagues on the administration group have welcomed me back with open arms and I am grateful to them for that.”
Local authority convener Councillor Wright said he understood the SNP group’s decision to end its bid for power, but criticised “petty” comments about the current administration.
He said: “I can understand that the SNP has looked at the mathematics and the challenge they would face, and have decided not to go ahead with any bid to take over the administration.
“Clearly, James Allan’s return to the administration did not help the SNP cause.
“But then the group has made petty and unfounded criticism of the council administration, calling it ‘ineffective’.
“I believe the current administration has done an excellent job over the past three years.”
Fochabers Lhanbryde Conservative councillor Douglas Ross said the SNP’s failure to recruit support betrayed a “lack of ambition”.
He said: “In the SNP’s own words, this administration is ‘ineffective’.
“So I question how bad the SNP’s pitch to councillors must have been if they couldn’t convince them an SNP administration would be any better.”