Poor voter turnout for council elections ‘unacceptable’ - Alex Salmond

THE lowly turnout at last week’s Scottish council elections have been branded “unacceptable” by First Minister Alex Salmond.

The SNP leader blamed politicians for failing to come up with the kind of policies that get people interested in voting.

But he was accused of “failing” to focus on voters’ priorities over his “obsession” with the referendum, during clashes with Labour’s Johann Lamont at Holyrood.

Barely a third of voters, 38 per cent, turned out across Scotland last Thursday, although it was less than a quarter in some areas.

“That is not an acceptable turnout in a democratic ballot,” Mr Salmond told MSPs at First Ministers questions today.

“I think all of us as politicians have work to do to increase that turnout.”

He added: “That should give a lesson to all democratic politicians that all of us have to offer the electorate a positive vision that’s worth voting for, have to offer the electorate substantive policies to engage more than we do at the present moment to secure higher turnouts and higher democratic participation.”

The SNP emerged with 424 seats, 30 ahead of Labour, although Ms Lamont’s party have seized control in key strongholds like Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Stirling.

Ms Lamont accused Mr Salmond today of putting the SNP’s priorities before that of voters.

“People don’t like it when you put your party’s priorities before theirs and people’s priorities are jobs, childcare, schools and public services,” she said.

“Instead the First Minister has put Scotland on pause, getting rid of nurses, teachers and local government workers and last week the people of Scotland sent him a clear message.”

Ms Lamont said that Labour had lessons to learn, but was gaining support around the country.

But she insisted Mr Salmond’s “obsession and delay” over the referendum are not popular with the public.

She added; “The First Minister’s failure to focus on what people care about - jobs, childcare, public services - don’t go down well with people.”

Labour insist Mr Salmond has “more time” for rich tycoons like Rupert Murdoch, Sir Fred Goodwin and Brian Soutar..

Ms Lamont added: “The fact that he has more time for them than the people of this country doesn’t go down well with the people of this country.”

But Mr Salmond insisted he was delighted with the result which saw the Nationalists emerge with most seats and gaining on the last election in 2007.

“When a party extends its number of seats, its lead over its main rival and wins an election, then that’s a reasonable lesson for the Scottish National party to learn,” Salmond said.

“We celebrate that political success.”