Aberdeen City Council co-leader Christian Allard has refused to resign after opposition councillors narrowly passed a vote of no confidence in him.
The SNP councillor lost the vote by 22 votes to 21 on Friday after the death of Rosemount councillor Bill Cormie and the absence through illness of fellow SNP councillor Alison Alphonse left the ruling SNP-Liberal Democrat administration outnumbered.
Labour group leader M Tauqeer Malik said: “The council has spoken, and councillor Allard should do the honourable thing and tender his resignation.”
However, Mr Allard accused his political opponents of exploiting the circumstances surrounding Mr Cormie’s death.
He told the P&J: “They were just trying to capitalise. It was disgraceful and abysmal. I don’t know what they were trying to do today. This is not the way you do politics.”
The vote is not binding because the motion was lodged with two weeks’ notice rather than the required three. However, Mr Allard’s position could now be put to another vote at a full council meeting on October 7, the day before the Midstocket/Rosemount by-election.
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