EDINBURGH Labour Group have suspended a councillor for three weeks after she abstained from a vote.
Leith councillor Katrina Faccenda was put on a three-week suspension after abstaining from a vote, with Labour launching an internal disciplinary investigation.
Faccenda broke ranks in abstaining from a vote that would help Labour hold onto their minority leadership of the city council.
This comes following the dismissal of former council leader Cammy Day and the installation of Jane Maeghar as leader of the city council.
Faccenda was suspended on January 27 for a period of three weeks; she is still able to vote but has been banned from group activities and attending meetings.
Faccenda has previously been suspended by the Labour Group in 2022 – the same year she accused Labour of “turning their back on the people of Edinburgh”.
Faccenda abstained from voting in the election of a new council leader in protest against Labour accepting support from other groups.
Faccenda said: “My loyalty is to the Labour movement and the Labour party is the voice of that movement.
“But I have had to make hard decisions, and I do not believe the Labour Edinburgh Group have always been acting in the best interest for the people we represent.
“When they voted for the Lib Dem budget two years ago this opened a door potentially to things like cost cutting exercises which were not necessary.
“Also, there are occasions where we have not taken as robust a decision as we should because of the reality of being in an informal arrangement and being reliant on the Lib Dem and Tory votes.
“When I stood for council, I was clear I was standing to defend public services and resist outsourcing and to progressively start insourcing.
“I’ve been against policies like the Free Port in Leith which I believe will be bad for my ward, for Edinburgh and Scotland.
“It will only be good for businesses who will potentially benefit from relaxed regulation.
“Labour is a broad church and there have always been different ideas under the same roof.
“As a trade unionist I take my guidance from this part of our movement in order to get things right.
“As far as the council is concerned, people in Leith ward who I meet on a daily basis, sometimes feel the way the council works can be an impediment to constituents being represented properly.”
Labour Group whip, councillor Stephen Jenkinson, said: “I can confirm that as a result of an internal disciplinary investigation, councillor Faccenda was suspended by the Edinburgh Labour Group on Monday, January 27, for a period of three weeks.”
