New leader for SNP group in Fife

Neale Hanvey, councillor for Dunfermline Central, takes over the position following councillor Brian Goodall’s announcement last week that he was stepping down from the role on health grounds.

Mr Hanvey said it was “a real privilage” to be entrusted by his SNP colleagues, after being unanimously elected at a group meeting on Monday evening.

Paying tribute to his predecessor he said: “I would like to pay tribute, and give my thanks, to Brian for

guiding us through some significant change in his time as leader, not least in welcoming four new SNP councillors into the group as the SNP won by-elections across Fife.”

Mr Hanvey said he believes passionately that communities should be at the centre of the decision-making process giving them a strong voice that drives the direction of Fife Council.

He added: “As we look forward to the Council elections in May, what’s clear to me is that communities across Fife feel detached from what they perceive as an increasingly remote administration. 

“Whether it’s closing schools, libraries, or forcing though their latest pet project against local opposition, this jaded administration seems to think consultation is a process through which it tells our communities what is to be done to them.

“I want to make sure Fifers are genuinely listened to and given opportunities to build capacity to empower their community.”

Mr Hanvey was elected to Fife Council in 2012 having had a previous career in NHS and has been the SNP group’s Health and Social Care spokesman since that time.