Leadership candidate Murdo Fraser has been given the backing of five Conservative Group Leaders in local authorities the length and breadth of Scotland.  In the letter below, Leaders of the Conservative Groups on Dumfries & Galloway, Edinburgh, Perth & Kinross, Fife and Aberdeenshire Councils outline that the people they represent are “crying out for a centre-right alternative”.

In an article to be published on ConservativeHome tomorrow in which he will outline what features our new party for Scotland will have, Murdo will talk about his localist approach to politics.  He will say:

“Alex Salmond and the SNP may believe in Scottish political sovereignty, but they certainly don’t trust people in Scotland with power.  Their sovereignty is an exclusive sovereignty where only certain politicians can exercise real power.  It would give the Scottish Government more power, but is none too keen on giving it to Scottish local authorities, communities or people.  The approach of our new party will be very different.  The devolution of power will not grind to a halt at Holyrood, but continue on ever downwards.  Such a localist approach is also in tune with a fundamental belief that the best way to improve public services is not through central command and control, but through local diversity.”

The letter signed by five key Council Group Leaders reads:

As elected Scottish Conservative Councillors and Group Leaders, we fully support Murdo Fraser’s idea to transform our party into a new, centre-right force in Scottish politics.

As people who are on the frontline of politics in communities right across Scotland, we know how many people feel frustrated and let down by local councils run by parties of the centre-left.  Parties which spend wastefully and fail to provide good, value-for-money local services.

Such people are crying out for a centre-right alternative which provides the highest quality of service at the lowest possible cost.  But despite sharing our values and supporting many of our policies, many people across Scotland simply will not countenance voting Conservative.  So we have first-hand experience of the problems our party has in connecting with people in Scotland.

We believe that a new, centre-right party with a distinct Scottish identity and policies that are made here in Scotland will be the essential first step in reconnecting with voters at the local level.  And once people learn that they can trust this new party to act in their interests and introduce policies that improve the quality of life in their local communities, we will attract new supporters from all walks of life.

This will be helped enormously by the fact that Murdo Fraser has made it clear he will put localism at the heart of this new party’s agenda.  As parties of the centre-left, both Labour and the SNP have been responsible for the centralising trend in Scottish politics.

It is high time we reversed this trend which is failing people across Scotland.  Scotland is a diverse country and we need to recognise that in the way we deliver vital public services.  That means freeing up local councils so that they can respond effectively to the differing needs and wishes of their local communities.

That is why we believe that the new, centre-right party which Murdo Fraser proposes will not only transform Scottish politics for the better, but also transform Scotland for the better.

Yours faithfully,
Cllr Jeremy Balfour, Conservative Group Leader, City of Edinburgh Council
Cllr Dave Dempsey, Conservative Group Leader, Fife Council
Cllr Marcus Humphrey, Conservative Group Leader, Aberdeenshire Council
Cllr Ivor Hyslop, Conservative Group Leader, Dumfries and Galloway Council
Cllr Alexander Stewart, Conservative Group Leader, Perth and Kinross Council