SNP politicians in Tayside are not expected to accept proposals put forward by their party at Holyrood advocating a single, Scotland-wide fire service despite one councillor’s suggestion that party members should all be “singing from the same hymn sheet” on the matter.
Email correspondence seen by The Courier has revealed that Ken Lyall, convener of Tayside Fire and Rescue Board, has urged his party colleagues not to take a “political” stance on the issue ahead of a full board meeting in Perth on Monday.
The board is to vote on whether to lend support to a consultation document which outlines restructuring plans in their current form.
However Mr Lyall, who was last year temporarily suspended from the party after he clashed with senior members over the future of a Dundee fire station, has rejected the notion that members should vote along party lines.
It is understood that, at a meeting in Dundee this week, the group agreed it would request further information on the benefits of a single service from the Scottish Government before agreeing to support the proposals.
In a memo to party colleagues serving on the board, dated February 10, Mr Lyall wrote, “I for one have an open mind and would like any consultation to actually have some evidence of why change would be best and up to now I have not been offered any such information.”
He also questions the support the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has given the proposals in light of the fact they may lead to job losses.’More information’ neededHe and FBU officials have clashed on various issues, most recently the suggestion a merger would lead to front-line cuts.
The email added, “As for the FBU I am intrigued as to why they support a proposal which will mean redundancies in management and also front line.
“Is it because they feel they will be offered a seat at the top table in a single service?”
Mr Lyall was writing in response to an email from Angus councillor Paul Valentine, who suggested Wednesday’s meeting in a bid to ensure SNP councillors were united in favour of the consultation documents.
Earlier, he told the group, “I believe that we should be ready to defend the proposals and ensure that we are not split on this issue.”
However, Mr Valentine later said his position had changed after the meeting, and denied his views on the matter were coloured by party politics.
He said, “(The SNP councillors) are basically all of the same view that we need more information before we can come to a decision about whether to support the proposal.”