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Scotland's council leaders are on the brink of tumultuous change, as the May elections loom large on the horizon. The Scottish Labour Party, which has traditionally had a stronghold in councils across the country, looks likely to lose some of its grip in this year's elections. A recent YouGov poll for Channel Four News revealed Scotland's voters were torn between Labour and the SNP in local elections. Voting intention in the local authority elections in Scotland stands at Conservatives 15%, Labour 31%, Lib Dems 15%, and the SNP 30%. This would have a knock-on effect for the councils' umbrella organisation COSLA. COSLA's membership must reflect the political composition of its member authorities. At present, with 15 of the 32 councils Labour-led, the organisation is headed by recently honoured Labour councillor Pat Watters. But he stands down in June, after a second term as COSLA president, and the path remains wide open for his successor from across the political spectrum. Cllr Watters admitted: ‘It would be a very brave person who said they would be putting themselves forward as the next president of COSLA.' Not only does any potential candidate need to be selected by their party, they also have to be elected or re-elected as a councillor in May. Cllr Watters, who has led COSLA since October 2001, believes ‘a strong pair of hands' would still be at the helm, but he declined to say who that might be. But with inevitable changes ahead, COSLA has admitted it is making pre-election preparations. A COSLA spokesman said: ‘We are preparing for every eventuality, and looking at various scenarios. ‘But democracy is democracy, and we don't want to go too far down the road until we know the results. But we are looking at things.'

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WHITEHALL

COSLA's poll turmoil

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