Labour pressed to apologise over council by-election ‘mess’

Labour is being pressed to apologise for a situation which could result in a second by-election being held for a council seat.

Leaders of Glasgow City Council have stepped in and contacted a senior sheriff after the winner in a local by-election failed to quit her job with the local authority – disqualifying her from being a councillor.

Mary McNab was voted in as the new councillor for the Glasgow North East ward on Glasgow City Council on November 22.

But she failed to comply with legislation which required her to stand down from her job with the council the next working day – with this automatically disqualifying her from being an elected member.

With Glasgow City Council in what is described as an “untested” situation, the authority has contacted the Sheriff Principal on the matter.

It could be that another by-election for the ward will have to be held.

Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken demanded an apology from Labour, who she said had “let down” Ms McNab.

Posting on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Ms Aitken said: “I feel for Mary McNab who’s been let down by lazy & incompetent @GlasgowLabour leadership, who seem to think the rules don’t apply to them.

“Not half as let down as folk in the North East ward or the wider city though. An apology at the least is due for this @GlasgowLabour mess.”

A spokesperson for the council said that last week it “became clear that the victor in the North East by election had not resigned from her employment in Glasgow City Council”.

The council spokesperson continued: “This automatically disqualified her with the effect that she is no longer a councillor and a by-election will need to be held.

“This is however untested legal ground and to ensure the law is being correctly interpreted, we will tomorrow begin the process of seeking a declarator from the Sheriff Principal to that effect.”

Ms McNab had been elected in a by-election held after the previous Labour councillor for the area, Maureen Burke, became an MP in July’s general election.