Down but certainly not out...

I was re-elected as Leader of Inverclyde Council Labour Group tonight for the thirteenth time at our annual general meeting and I would like to thank my colleagues for their continuing support and confidence in me.

I was first elected Leader in May 2003 following our crushing defeat to the Liberal Democrats in that year's Council elections. During the next 4 years we rebuilt our reputation and support, proving to be a very effective opposition, with the result that we won back control of the Council at the 2007 elections.

Tonight we had a wide ranging discussion about how the party both locally and nationally should respond to our defeat to the SNP in May's general election. While we do not underestimate the scale of the challenge facing us, there is a renewed determination among our Councillors to do all we can to win back the support of many of the voters we have lost and to engage with those who voted for the first time at the referendum and turned out again at the general election. In doing so we can draw on the lessons of 2003 and how we campaigned during the following 4 years. There is no substitute for hard work.

We believe that we have a strong record of delivery for the people of Inverclyde that we can put before the electorate in 2017. In the meantime we still have many more things we want to deliver in the remaining two years of this Council to make a real difference to the lives of the communities we represent.

We may be down but we are certainly not out. Inverclyde Labour still has much to offer the people of Inverclyde and we aim to play a big part in the next Council elected in 2017.