LABOUR LEADER BURNT IN BARBECUE ROW

LABOUR LEADER BURNT IN BARBECUE ROW

QUESTIONS REMAIN OVER MARQUEE AND MR GRAY

GRAY’S FINANCIAL BACKERS FACE REPAYMENT CALL FOR REAL COMMUNITY EVENTS

Labour face further questions over their use of council facilities for a
fundraising community barbecue as it appears there should be an Electoral
Commission investigation and as questions were raised over Labour’s
confusion over the “donated marquee”.

Labour also face calls to repay not just council funds, but all the
profits made at what should have been a community event.

Today (Monday) it has emerged that:

• The donated marquee (from the community to the council) was taken out of
use in the mid 90’s, – raising more questions over Labour’s continued use
of council community services.

• There are growing calls for the Electoral Commission to investigate the
legality of East Lothian Labour’s actions.

• The council has written to Labour and could ask for £3500 to be repaid
to cover the cost of the last 5 years.

• Prestonpans District Labour party accounts – a separate entity to the
social club - show approximately £500 raised at the barbecue in recent
years – approximately £7,500 in total.

The Marquee arrangement, exposed in the East Lothian Courier last week and
worth around £11,000 to Labour threatens to derail the local MSP and
Labour Leader in the Scottish Parliament who has received funds from the
Labour club and Labour branch in question and is believed to have attended
the barbecue.

Labour’s claim the club benefited from the Marquee as it was provided by
the community to the council was exposed in the Courier last week as
outdated with the council telling the local paper that that Marquee was
scrapped between 1994 and 1996 as it was "not fit for purpose" - despite
this Labour continued this claim over the weekend (see notes).

Commenting on Labour’s continuing problems in South of Scotland SNP MSP
Christine Grahame said:

“Labour have got their fingers well and truly burnt with this one. If Iain
Gray can’t keep East Lothian in line, how on earth can he be expected to
lead Labour, let along Scotland.

“As Iain Gray, East Lothian Labour and the Labour club are all regulated
by the Electoral Commission there is a strong possibility an inquiry is
needed.
“There are real questions for Iain Gray and his local Labour party to answer.

“I will be looking into the legislation and consulting with the Electoral
Commission as to Labour’s actions.”

“Iain Gray must confirm if he has attended these barbecues and how he
failed to notice that council services were propping up his local Labour
party.

“Labour has been caught stretching the truth, claiming they were using a
donated marquee, when the council confirm that one was ditched in the mid
90’s. They must own up on that and pay back the cash.

“It is time for Labour to demonstrate the moral values Iain Gray is so
fond of talking about. Labour must see the moral imperative of returning
the profits they made as a result of their misuse of council funds to the
community organisations that should have had these resources in the first
place.

“The money they have received every year for atleast 15 years is money
that should be supporting real community organisations not the fundraising
of political parties. The Council should recover the value of this support
– over £600 a year – not just for the last five years, but for all years.

"I am today writing to the Chief Executive of East Lothian Council to see
what action he will take to get as much of the money back as possible for
the people of East Lothian, instead of leaving it with the politicians of
the Labour party.”

1) The first report of Labour's misuse of council funds in last week's
East Lothian courier is here

http://www.eastlothiancourier.com/

2) In the Courier East Lothian Council state the marquee was ditched in
1994-1996.

A Labour spokesperson claimed on Saturday (5th Dec) that:

"The Prestonpans marquee was bought many years ago and gifted to the
council on condition that groups from Prestonpans could keep using it for
free. 

Prestonpans Labour Branch, like lots of local groups, has
used the marquee every summer for twenty years to host their annual
fundraising barbeque that has become a highlight in the community
calendar attracting all sorts of people from the town"

David Costello: The Chair of Prestonpans Labour said: "The Community
Council gave East Lothian District Council a marquee on
the understanding that Prestonpans groups who used the marquee would not
be charged. "