Fife Council leader David Ross has bemoaned the outcome of the EU referendum as “bad for Fife” – but said it would take time to assess the true impact on the region.
Mr Ross, who is leader of the Labour administration in the Kingdom, said he had been “bitterly disappointed” by last Thursday’s result, although he called on people not to make “hasty, ill-judged decisions” in the aftermath.
“Whatever transpires over the coming weeks and months, we face a period of extreme uncertainty and turmoil in our economy, our politics and our society,” he said.
“I am convinced this result is bad for Fife.
“However we are where we are. This isn’t a time for knee-jerk reactions.
“There are still too many uncertainties and contradictions in the situation for us to make hasty, ill-judged decisions.
“I believe Kezia Dugdale is right when she says all options should be on the table for consideration, and we need cool heads and calm reflection.
“It is far too early to make any snap judgements about the best direction for Scotland in the longer term – we just don’t know what the options are.
“In the short term the priority has to be maintaining stability and confidence in the economy.
“In Fife, we are looking at the implications of an EU exit for the council, for businesses and for the people who live here.
“These are numerous and many won’t become fully clear until negotiations on an exit are advanced. But we will be doing everything possible to avoid negative impacts on Fife.
“One message I want to send out very clearly to the many citizens of other EU countries who have chosen to live and work in Fife, is that the great majority of Fifers value the contribution you make to our society.
“You are an important part of our society and are still very welcome here.
“All that can be said with certainty is that we are in for an uncertain and worrying time.
“I hope that we can work together in Fife to ensure the best outcome for all those who live here and for the whole of Scotland.”
Mr Ross added that Labour needed now to concentrate on addressing the issues which were merely highlighted once more by the voting public.
“What the referendum result did show is the degree of division across the UK and that large parts of the country and the population feel their concerns are not being listened to or their interests represented by the mainstream political parties,” he concluded.
“The Labour Party needs to redouble its efforts to address the underlying causes of those concerns – the things that matter to people in their everyday lives such as jobs, housing, health and public services.
“That is where our effort should be directed – uniting around our common values and the belief that we can achieve more by the power of our common endeavour than we can alone – rather than spending time on introspection and in-fighting.”
