SNP councillor Jacqueline McLaren set to become new Lord Provost of Glasgow

SNP councillor Jacqueline McLaren is set to become Glasgow’s new Lord Provost.

Cllr McLaren, who won a community champion award for her work in the Canal ward last year, has received the SNP’s nomination for the role and is expected to have the support of both her own party and the Greens.

Councillors will vote to appoint a new Lord Provost when they gather for the first full council meeting of the term on Thursday.

The SNP is set to form a minority administration after striking a deal with the Greens which will see Cllr Susan Aitken re-elected as council leader, with Cllr Ricky Bell as her deputy.

The Greens will propose a deputy Lord Provost who will have the support of the SNP. Greens councillor Christy Mearns has served as deputy Lord Provost since May last year.

If appointed, Cllr McLaren will replace Labour’s Philip Braat as Lord Provost after he took on the role in January 2020. Cllr Braat was elected after Cllr Eva Bolander, the first SNP politician to become Lord Provost, stepped down following a row over her expenses.

Cllr Bolander resigned as Lord Provost in October 2019 following controversy over her £8000 claim for personal items such as clothes, make-up and shoes. She said the claims were within the rules but agreed to repay some of the costs.

She was re-elected earlier this month to serve as a councillor for the Anderston/City/Yorkhill ward.

Cllr McLaren was a winner at the Local Government Information Unit awards in November last year. She picked up the Community Champion of the Year prize at a ceremony in Glasgow’s city chambers after being nominated for her “extensive partnership working with community groups and individuals”.

The event heard how her “no nonsense style with officers and agencies has endeared her to many”. She was praised for her work helping North United Communities to secure funding for a new community facility on derelict land in her ward.

On the night, Cllr McLaren said: “The communities I represent are probably the most underprivileged in the UK. The people are vibrant and ready to go, all they need is attention from councillors and council bodies and we can get things done.”

The Lord Provost, a figurehead for the city, performs an ambassadorial role which includes hosting hundreds of events and engagements each year, and is supported by a deputy and a team of 18 Bailies. They also chair full council meetings.