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New council leader elected after former chief quit

Inverclyde Council Labour Councillor Robert Moran in the middle of the picture taken from the shoulders up. He smiles at the camera whilst wearing a red tie with a grey shirt. His suit jacket is black with pinstripes. Inverclyde Council
Labour Councillor Robert Moran is the new Inverclyde Council leader

Inverclyde Council has elected a new leader after the man who previously held the position stepped down over assault charges.

Labour councillor Robert Moran was selected for the role after the full council voted on 5 December.

Mr Moran has been a council representative for more than 20 years and was Provost of Inverclyde between 2012 until 2017.

The former provost replaces Stephen McCabe who stepped down after being accused of displaying threatening behaviour towards a woman in October.

McCabe pleaded not guilty to the charges in Greenock Sherriff Court on 15 November.

The 60-year-old councillor resigned after the court appearance and has since been suspended by Labour pending the outcome of ongoing investigations.

Mr Moran said he was honoured to be the new leader, adding that the council faced many challenges.

He said there were financial challenges within the public sector that made it more difficult to balance the council budget while protecting jobs.

"I will continue fighting for more funding and opportunities for Inverclyde to improve the lives of the people we serve," he said.

Councillor Colin Jackson will replace Mr Moran's as chair of the council's General Purposes Board.