SNP Group members have resigned from the board of South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture and the Group have today written to the Chief Executive of the Council to inform him we will not nominate replacement appointees.
Read more below.
Dear Paul,
Having carefully considered our position; the South Lanarkshire SNP Group has decided that we will no longer nominate elected members to sit as Trustees on the Board of South Lanarkshire Leisure & Culture (SLLC).
In 2022 with the prospect of new Governance being put in place and SLLC becoming a SCIO, we were hopeful that clearly defined roles and responsibilities between SLLC and South Lanarkshire Council (SLC) would be established, however, two years on, concerns over the level of influence being exerted by SLC over the Trust remain, and we are not willing to be complicit in decisions imposed on the SLLC Board by the Council Leader for political gain.
On 21st February 2024, at the Council’s Budget Meeting, Council Leader Joe Fagan made an intervention to prevent the closure of Hollandbush Golf Course and guaranteed that he’d “save” Whitehill Neighbourhood Centre. These decisions were not his to make and as these facilities were listed for service withdrawal, this came as a complete shock to SLLC Board Members in the room and to SLLC Officers including the Chief Executive watching online. A letter co-signed by the leaders of the Labour/Lib Dem Administration, Councillors Fagan and Brown, was sent to SLLC putting forward their case for keeping these facilities open after the Council Leader’s public proclamation. While this did not sit easily with some of the Trustees, criticism of the council’s interference by one of our elected members was dismissed as “political” and immediately closed down. There are five politicians on the Board.
More recently, during a public campaign to prevent library closures, it was clear that the Council Leader again stepped in at the last moment to make a decision to keep Cambuslang library open in the face of a backlash from local residents, who were quickly gathering support for a campaign against the library cuts. Making an announcement the night before a public protest so that local councillors from the administration could show face and pretend to have ‘saved’ the library was pathetic, political interference in a SLLC operational matter.
Over the past two years, Councillors from all parties who sit on the Board have had concerns over the lack of transparency around SLLC decisions, and therefore a cross-party proposal to publish the minutes of meetings was put to the Board, however this was rejected. Furthermore, when a request to delay the decision on facility closures was rejected, one of our elected members asked that his dissent be noted, and this was denied.
Over the past few months, a recruitment process to replace a retiring Board Member has taken place, and while the Board has been advised that a suitable candidate has been selected, no details will be confirmed until the decision is approved by SLC. We feel this is inappropriate. SLC should not have the power to approve/ veto Trustees of a charity.
The South Lanarkshire SNP Group is not prepared to nominate councillors to be members of SLLC Board when we are unable to fulfil the role of a Charity Trustee, setting strategic direction and work in the best interest of the organisation to achieve outcomes for communities.
As a result of our unanimous decision, Councillor John Anderson and Councillor Andrea Cowan have submitted their resignations to the Chief Executive of SLLC today.
Yours sincerely,
David Shearer
Business Manager, South Lanarkshire SNP Council Group
Cllr Cal Johnston-Dempsey 