 | 'This week's result suggests that there is not a general pro-Lib Dem swing, rather an anti-Labour one to whichever party starts in second place, bringing the prospect of heavy defeats at next year's Scottish parliament elections.' The Guardian, 17 th February 2006. |  |
A by-election was held in Milton on the 16 th February 2006 following the resignation of Labour Cllr Gary Gray over his expense claims.
Milton is in the Glasgow North East Westminster parliamentary seat (held by the speaker, the Rt Hon Michael Martin MP) and in the Glasgow Maryhill Scottish parliamentary seat (held by Labour's Patricia Ferguson MSP).
Scottish National Party gain from Labour. Swing: 15.1 % Labour to Scottish National Party.
| 16 th February 2006 By election Turnout 32.2 % (- 5.6 %) | |||||
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Votes | % | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William McAllister |  |
Scottish National Party | 773 | 49.6 % | + 17.1 % |
| Gilbert Davidson |  |
Labour | 623 | 40.0 % | - 12.6 % |
| Angela McCormick |  |
Scotish Socialist Party | 93 | 6.0 % | - 4.6 % |
| Norman Fraser |  |
Liberal Democrat | 44 | 2.8 % | - 1.4 % |
| David Meikle |  |
Conservative | 24 | 1.5 % | (+ 1.5 %) |
| Scottish National Party gain from Labour | |
Scottish National Party majority | 150 | 9.6 % | |
| 1 st May 2003 Turnout 37.8 % (- 0.9 %) | |||||
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Votes | % | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Gray | |
Labour | 1,033 | 52.6 % | - 0.3 % |
| Joe Kerr | |
Scottish National Party | 638 | 32.5 % | - 14.2 % |
| William Young | |
Scotish Socilaist Party | 209 | 10.6 % | (+ 10.6 %) |
| James Stuart | |
Liberal Democrat | 83 | 4.2 % | (+ 4.2 %) |
| Labour hold | |
Labour majority | 395 | 20.1 % | + 13.5 % |
| 6 th May 1999 Turnout 38.7 % (- 0.5 %) | |||||
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Votes | % | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Margaret Sinclair | |
Labour Co-op | 1,400 | 53.3 % | - 22.5 % |
| Joe Kerr | |
Scottish National Party | 1,228 | 46.7 % | + 22.5 % |
| Labour hold | |
Labour majority | 172 | 6.6 % | - 45.0 % |
| 6 th April 1995 Turnout 39.2 % | |||||
| Candidate | Logo | Party | Votes | % | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Harley | |
Labour | 1,689 | 75.8 % | |
| David Torrance | |
Scottish National Party | 539 | 24.2 % | |
| Labour win | |
Labour majority | 1,150 | 51.6 % | |
GLASGOW'S 79 councillors claimed more than £180,000 expenses last year.
The bill is £70,000 more than the previous year and show Glasgow's representatives spend more than politicians in Scotland's two other major cities.
The city's elected members last year claimed an average of almost £2300, £700 more than their colleagues in Edinburgh and £1800 more than councillors in Aberdeen.
That is a total expense bill of £180,384 for meals, petrol and taxis.
Expenses are paid in addition to councillors' allowances which depend on their status and responsibilities and range from around £7000 to around £30,000.
Excluding the Lord Provost, the councillor with the highest bill was Crookston's Willie O'Rourke, convener of the authority's roads and lighting committee.
Cllr O'Rourke spent £10,414.56, which included trips to Budapest, Belfast, London and Japan.
Gary Gray, a back-bench councillor who represents Milton, one of the UK's most socially deprived wards, claimed more than £8000.
On 30 occasions he claimed £117.60. And in the past year 31-year-old Cllr Gray, who claims he has the powers to talk to the dead, has not made one official trip outside Scotland. He has not revealed details of his expenses, saying only they have been "submitted to the council".
But 13 councillors claimed nothing, including opposition leader John Mason, lone Tory Alan Rodger and former council leader Charles Gordon.
Today, Cllr Mason said the problem with Glasgow's expenses bill was "too many conferences and foreign trips".
He said: "I defend councillors on the basic allowance of £7000 to claim their expenses but there are others, such as myself, who get a bit extra and should maybe pay their own bus fares on the way in to work. The problem though is too many conferences and foreign trips, which we are not in favour of.
"But in the first instance, these expenses should be authorised before the money's spent."
Other councillors running up big bills include development and regeneration convener Hanzala Malik, whose bill totalled £9962 and included trips to Malaysia and Pakistan.
Malcolm Green, councillor for Kelvingrove and the Labour's whip, ran up £8162, including more than £1300 to go to Finland.
The Glasgow figures contrast sharply with those in Edinburgh.
Councillors in the capital reduced their expense bill by almost £30,000 in the past year and claim an average of less than £1600.
However, Edinburgh's Lord Provost Lesley Hinds received almost £45,000, more than twice that of her Glasgow counterpart Liz Cameron, who claimed a total of £19,256.
In Aberdeen the average expenses claim was just £531.
A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: "We are committed to open, transparent governance and members' expenses are open to public scrutiny."
Glasgow has come in for criticism in the past for spending council tax payer's money on "naked junketing".
But the days of the big expenses claims could soon be coming to an end.
In a report to the Executive, ex-minister Lord Sewel is recommending the pay deal as part of a shake-up of local government starting in 2007 which will end to the current system of allowances and expenses and replace them with a clearly defined scale of salaries.
A GLASGOW councillor has been claiming for four meals a day on expenses - even when the council is in recess.
Labour's Gary Gray regularly bills the council for £117.60 a week for meals, the maximum possible for five days of breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner.
Today the backbencher, who represents Milton, said he only did so due to the long hours he works for his constituents, even when the council is not sitting.
He said: "I have claimed only what I am entitled to under the council's rules."
Mr Gray has already stunned colleagues by making expense claims of more than £8200 over his first two years as a councillor, more than most of the city's senior councillors.
The cash - paid on top of his regular allowance of more than £12,000 - was made up of £2531.03 in mileage for his car and £5691.61 in "various subsistence", council shorthand for meals taken while on civic duties.
However, a detailed breakdown of his expenses obtained by the Evening Times under the Freedom of Information Act shows Mr Gray continued to lodge claims for meals and mileage when the council was in recess. His bill for mileage and meals during the summer recesses of 2003 and 2004 topped £1300.
Most formal council business, including some of Mr Gray's own surgeries, are suspended during the recesses.
However, Mr Gray today said that would not stop him helping his constituents.
He said: "I am a full-time councillor, committed to my constituents and the city of Glasgow.
"Simply because the council is in recess does not mean the work of councillors stops ... this is a 24 hour-a-day job and I work on that basis.
"During recess, I still conduct surgeries, visit elderly and frail constituents and attend meetings in the city chambers and across my ward."
Asked why he had claimed £117.60 on more than 20 weeks, including twice during the council recess, he said: "You can claim a daily 'allo' for attending the chambers. That is what the £117 is about.
"I would also point out that some weeks I work a six-day week."
Mr Gray, 32, is a spiritualist who claims to be able to speak to dead politicians including US President John F Kennedy. He is also a diabetic.
A relatively junior councillor first elected in 2003, he has incurred all his expenses while working in Scotland. Only councillors who made foreign trips presented the council with larger expense bills.
City Chambers insiders today stressed it was not unusual for councillors to claim some expenses during the summer recess but eyebrows have been raised by the size of Mr Gray's summer expenses.
The Scottish Executive is currently reviewing the system for councillors' allowances.
Currently, councillors claim a standard figure for various meals they are entitled to have. These are: £5.08 for breakfast; £6.99 for lunch; £2.75 for afternoon tea; and £8.70 for dinner. That amounts to a maximum of £117.60 for a five-day week.
An Executive spokesman said: "This system is outdated, opaque and needs to be overhauled."
GLASGOW Labour councillors have been slammed for creating "jobs for the boys" - costing ratepayers an extra £25,000.
A shake-up of senior posts following the resignation of leader Charles Gordon has seen the bill for special allowances soar from £135,257 to £160,393.
And the move has sparked anger among opposition councillors.
The row flared over the Special Responsibility Allowance paid to councillors with roles as committee conveners, vice- conveners or spokesmen.
A review of the posts took place when Steven Purcell replaced Mr Gordon. Council chief executive George Black suggested six positions being axed - but nine being created.
Labour councillors backed the plan, which comes as the Scottish Executive considers paying councillors a salary from 2007, as they believe the job is undervalued.
Details are still being worked out, but it is understood senior councillors' average pay packet could be around £20,000 with council leaders earning around £50,000.
However, SNP group leader John Mason today slammed the new Glasgow appointments.
He said: "The issue of councillors' allowances is being looked at by the Executive so we don't think there should be any increase in the number of Special Responsibility Payments at the moment. These new payments look like jobs for the boys."
Under the changes, former council leader Mr Gordon, who represents Knightswood Park, loses the £24,361 he earned as policy and resources convener and instead gets a payment of £9854 as Clyde regeneration spokesman.
He will also earn £10,000 as chairman of Glasgow Clyde Regeneration working group - set up to boost the riverside.
Council leader Mr Purcell, who earned £18,318 as education convener and is councillor for Blairdardie, now gets £24,361.
Strathbungo councillor Malcolm Cunning, who presently gets £5148 as a member of the licensing board will now get £12,274 as vice convener of the licensing board.
Drumoyne councillor Stephen Dornan, who gets £9854 as convener of the south west area committee, will get £18,318 as chief whip.
Milton councillor Gary Gray, who earned £5148 on the licensing board, now gets £9854 as assistant chief whip.
Kelvingrove councillor Malcolm Green steps down from his £18,318 job as business manager to get £12,274 as international affairs spokesman.
Gartcraig councillor Gerry Leonard, who earned £9854 as co-ordinator of strategic issues, now gets £12,274 as parks vice-convener.
Merchant City councillor Gordon Matheson, who got £9854 as convener of the central area committee, now gets £12,274 as the vice convener of education.
Battlefield councillor Margaret McCafferty, who got £12,274 as education vice convener takes over as convener on £18,318.
Mount Vernon councillor Euan McLeod, who got £9854 as co-ordinator of strategic issues, now gets £12,274 as vice convener of community planning.
Hutchesontown councillor James Mutter, who got £12,274 as homelessness spokesperson, now gets £18,318 as community planning convener.
SNP council candidate Billy McAllister has taken SNP Deputy Leader, Nicola Sturgeon on a tour of the Milton Ward. During the visit Billy and Nicola visited several places and spoke to a number of locals.
Amongst the places visited was Miltonbank Primary and St Ambrose's Primary, where they chatted with parents at the end of the school day. During this time parents raised concerns over the lack of youth facilities in the area and their worry over the rising level of gangs in the area. They also took time out to chat to local shopkeepers and several customers at the shops in Skerry Terrace. The day finished with a trip to St Augustine's playing fields and a walk round Lambill where Nicola saw for herself the lack of recreation facilities for young people.
About Billy's election bid Nicola said - 'Billy has a great track record in helping the local community as an activist, but he will be able to do so much more as a councillor. I want him as part of the SNP team in the city chambers that stands up for our communities against Labour misrule. It's not only Milton or even Glasgow that needs people like Billy to stand up for their interests, it's Scotland wide. Billy has my full support in his campaign to be the next councillor of Milton ward on Februaury 16th.'
Billy McAllister tonight (Thursday) became the latest Scottish National Party Councillor following a stunning victory in the local by-election in Milton, Glasgow.
The SNP candidate came from second place and 20 percentage points behind Labour in 2003 to win this evening with a swing to the party of 15 percent.
The victory is the partyÕs first in a by-election in Glasgow in the eight years since 1998, and is the latest in a series of impressive SNP victories at local level across Scotland. Since the 2005 General Election, when the SNP also gained seats, the SNP has now won 6 new seats in council by-elections, more than all the other parties put together.
SNP Holyrood Leader and Glasgow MSP Nicola Sturgeon said after the result:
"Winning here despite a strong Labour campaign is a brilliant achievement for Billy, his campaign team and the party. Most of all itÕs a great day for the people of Milton who have elected a local councillor who will fight tirelessly for their interests in Glasgow City Council.
"What weÕve seen in Glasgow tonight is that the SNP can fight and win seats from Labour here in the Central Belt of Scotland.
"At the Scottish Parliament elections next year voters across the country will be faced with a simple choice between the SNP and Labour. They will have to decide whether to vote for an SNP Scottish Executive led by Alex Salmond with a vision of taking Scotland forward to Independence, or more of the same from a failing Labour-LibDem Executive under Jack McConnell.
"The clear evidence from tonight shows that when given this straight choice voters will decide to place their trust in the SNP."
Councillor Billy McAllister said:
"IÕd like to thank the people of Milton for placing their trust in me today. IÕll continue to work hard for all the people in this area and ensure that the complacent Labour party will no longer take them for granted.
"This victory demonstrates that when the SNP face Labour head to head we can and will win, and so this is a fantastic boost as we build to victory in next yearÕs Scottish elections."
Full Result
Vote % % Change
SNP 773 49.6 +17.1
Labour 623 40.0 -12.6
SSP 93 5.9 - 4.7
LibDem 44 2.8 - 1.4
Con 29 1.6 -
So farewell then to Glasgow councillor Gary Gray, who has previously featured in these pages for being acquitted of assault charges, his failure to pay council tax, his claims of being able to communicate with the late President Kennedy, and for his tendency to claim the maximum subsistence allowance - £117 a week for four meals a day, every day, even when the council is not sitting.
When his record was exposed in the Scottish media, Cllr Gray stepped down from his £9,000 a year whip's role, and has latterly been obliged to step down from the council completely.
However, this sad tale does have a happy ending. At last night's bye election for the Milton ward seat, Labour lost the seat to the SNP. The Nats now become the official opposition with 4 seats, although Labour still have 70 out of the total 79 seats on the council. Roll on STV....
| Candidate | Party | Elected | Number of Votes |
| DAVIDSON, Gilbert | Scottish Labour Party Candidate | 623 | |
| FRASER, Norman | Scottish Liberal Democrats | 44 | |
| McALLISTER, William | Scottish National Party (SNP) | Elected | 773 |
| McCORMICK, Angela | Scottish Socialist Party | 93 | |
| MEIKLE, David | Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party | 24 |
| Election Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Total Electorate | 4808 |
| Majority | 150 |
| Percentage Poll | 32.25% |
| Breakdown of Rejected Papers | |
| Want of Official Mark | 0 |
| Voting for More Than One Candidate | 0 |
| Writing or Mark by which Voter could be Identified | 0 |
| Unmarked or Void for Uncertainty | 2 |
| Total Rejected Papers | 0 |
THE SNP last night won a surprise by-election victory when William McAllister was elected as councillor for Milton, in Glasgow.
The poll was prompted by the resignation of Labour's Gary Gray, who stepped down amid a row over expenses.
John Mason, the council's SNP opposition leader, de-scribed the result as "tremendous news". He said: "This is something we have been waiting on for ages. It has been eight years since we won a by-election in Glasgow. This will really stir things up.
"We now have a real local activist on the council who will work tirelessly for the area. There are a lot of issues such as crime and poor housing in the area which need to addressed urgently."
Mr McAllister won 773 votes, 49.6% of the turnout. Gilbert Davidson, Labour, gained 623 (40%), the Scottish Socialist Party received 93, with 44 for the Liberal Democrats and 24 for the Conservatives. The overall turnout was 32.2%.
The SNP now has four councillors on Glasgow City Council, with Labour having 70, and the Liberal Democrats three. The Conservatives and SSP have one apiece.
In May, The Herald revealed Mr Gray claimed more than £8000 in subsistence and mileage despite not leaving the country to attend any conferences.
Margaret Sinclair, the council's Labour group business manager, said: "This is always a very closely fought seat but we are obviously disappointed to lose it.
"There are a number of lessons which we have to learn from this including the need to improve local services. We remain determined to do everything we can to deliver the best services possible to everyone in Milton and Glasgow."
Cllr Billy McAllister is the SNP's latest elected representative
following his decisive victory in a local authority by-election in
Milton in Glasgow City Council tonight, gained by a swing from Labour
of 15 per cent.
SNP Holyrood Leader and Glasgow MSP Nicola Sturgeon said:
"Winning here despite a strong Labour campaign is a brilliant
achievement for Billy, his campaign team and the party. Most of all
it's a great day for the people of Milton who have elected a local
councillor who will fight tirelessly for their interests in Glasgow
City Council.
"What we've seen in Glasgow tonight is that the SNP can fight and win
seats from Labour here in the Central Belt of Scotland.
"At the Scottish Parliament elections next year voters across the
country will be faced with a simple choice between the SNP and Labour.
They will have to decide whether to vote for an SNP Scottish Executive
led by Alex Salmond with a vision of taking Scotland forward to
Independence, or more of the same from a failing Labour-LibDem
Executive under Jack McConnell.
"The clear evidence from tonight shows that when given this straight
choice voters will decide to place their trust in the SNP."
Councillor Billy McAllister added:
"I'd like to thank the people of Milton for placing their trust in me
today. I'll continue to work hard for all the people in this area and
ensure that the complacent Labour party will no longer take them for
granted.
"This victory demonstrates that when the SNP face Labour head to head
we can and will win, and so this is a fantastic boost as we build to
victory in next year's Scottish elections."
The full result:
| | Vote | % | % Change |
| SNP | 773 | 49.6 | +17.1 |
| Labour | 623 | 40.0 | -12.6 |
| SSP | 93 | 5.9 | - 4.7 |
| LibDem | 44 | 2.8 | - 1.4 |
| Con | 29 | 1.6 | - |
The Scottish National Party has taken a ward from Labour in a Glasgow City Council by-election.
William McAllister of the SNP got 773 votes in the Milton poll, with Labour's Gilbert Davidson second on 623.
Mr McAllister secured 49.9% of the votes, with Labour receiving 40% on a turnout of 32.2% of the electorate.
Labour has 70 wards in Glasgow, the SNP four, Lib Dems three and the Tories and SSP one each. The poll came after the resignation of Labour's Gary Gray.
THE SNP was celebrating today after a surprise by-election victory in a safe Labour city council seat.
Nationalist candidate Billy McAllister snatched the Milton ward in Glasgow with a majority of 150 votes.
Mr McAllister, a controversial community activist, captured 773 votes, ahead of Labour's Gilbert Davidson on 623.
In 2001, Mr McAllister was banned from every council housing office in Glasgow and the City Chambers for allegedly intimidating housing staff.
Mr McAllister has previously been unsuccessful in an attempt to take a former Lord Provost to court over an alleged assault.
After his action against ex-Provost Tommy Dingwall, he was also threatened with eviction by housing bosses for alleged anti-social behaviour, which he denied.
There are now four SNP councillors in Glasgow and Mr McAllister's win is likely to trigger a probe by Labour into why it lost the safe seat.
Councillor Margaret Sinclair, Labour's business manager responsible for the by-election, said: "There are lessons we have to learn from this, including the need to improve local services."
SNP Holyrood leader and Glasgow MSP Nicola Sturgeon said both she and party leader Alex Salmond were aware of Mr McAllister's past.
Asked if she was concerned, she said: "It was a long time ago. I know about these incidents in the past but, you know, they are in the past. For me the most important thing about Billy now is that he is a good councillor for Milton.
SNP leader Alex Salmond said the result was "fantastic".
Mr Salmond added: "Billy's victory is the shape of things to come and people had better waken up to the fact there are no safe Labour seats in Scotland."
Today Mr McAllister said: "I have been vindicated and I just want to get on with representing my ward and doing the best for the people of Milton."
During last-minute campaigning yesterday, cars driven by Mr McAllister and Sports Minister Patricia Ferguson collided in Milton, but no-one was hurt.
The SNP win means Labour have 70 city councillors, the SNP have four, the LibDems three and the Tories and SSP one each.
The by-election was sparked by the resignation of Labour councillor Gary Gray in December. He was facing a probe by the Standards Commission into allegations about his expenses.
Mr Gray claimed cash for lunches he had free in the City Chambers buffet for councillors. The Evening Times exposed discrepancies in his expenses under the Freedom of Information Act.
LABOUR lost a council seat in Glasgow to the Nats last night.
SNP candidate William McAllister won a 150-vote majority over Labour's Gilbert Davidson in the by-election in the Milton ward.
The poll was caused by the resignation of Labour's Gary Gray, who had a 400-vote majority.
Labour still control the council with 70 councillors to the opposition parties' combined nine.
The Tories snatched two seats from the Liberal Democrats who showed no sign of a Dunfermline bounce - even in Scotland.
This week it was the Scottish National party who snatched the prize north of the border when William McAllister gained Glasgow City Council's Milton ward with the Lib Dems slipping even further in a poor fourth place.
It is, however, an ominous outcome for Labour, which has had three losses in Scotland so far this month including last week's Commons contest at Dunfermline and Fife West. This week's result suggests that there is not a general pro-Lib Dem swing, rather an anti-Labour one to whichever party starts in second place, bringing the prospect of heavy defeats at next year's Scottish parliament elections.
The SNP group on Glasgow City Council added a fourth councillor with the election of Billy McAllister for the Milton ward on Thursday. The previous Labour majority of 395 was turned into an SNP majority of 150. The by-election was caused by the resignation of Cllr Gary Gray just before Christmas. As well as claiming to be a medium and to speak to the dead, Gary Gray had been found to have over-claimed his expenses and resigned while being investigated by the Standards Commission.
The count took place in the City Chambers Banqueting Hall and everyone realised quickly it was going to be a close contest. Labour assumptions of an easy win were swiftly vanishing out the window as the ballot papers were poured onto the tables. Billy McAllister is the SNP's first new councillor in Glasgow since Bashir Ahmad was elected in 2003 and it is the Party's first by-election win in the City since 1998 when Labour lost Garrowhill.
In his acceptance speech on Thursday Billy committed himself to fighting for the people of Milton in a way that had not happened before under Labour. He emphasised the need for more facilities and the battle against crime. He also promised he would not be intimidated by drugs operators or anyone else.
John Mason welcomed Billy to the City Chambers on Friday and he was also met there by Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon. Later that morning Billy signed the necessary legal papers and so became a fully fledged councillor. John Mason commented, "Areas of the City like Milton have been neglected by Labour for far too long. The residents there have been treated as voting fodder for the Labour Party machine. But in the SNP we have no safe seats, we cannot sit on our laurels, and we have to work hard in all our wards. I am expecting Billy will rattle a few cages but that is no bad thing! It is tremendously exciting for us to have an addition to our Council group in this way and Billy will enable us to be an even stronger voice for the ordinary citizens of Glasgow."
Campaigning by the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) in a council by-election in Milton, Glasgow, has been lively.
The previous New Labour councillor resigned amid a row over his expenses claims. We are out with car cavalcades, canvassing and leaflets all the way up to polling day this Thursday.
Our public meeting with Tommy Sheridan on the replacement of the council tax with a Scottish service tax was well attended. The main issues for people are the lack of facilities and services in the area, especially for young people.
Milton has been neglected badly by New Labour and many Labour voters are seriously questioning who they should vote for now. We polled 10.6 percent in 2003 and are hoping for a good result this week.
The SSP came fifth with 537 votes, 1.6 percent, in last week's Westminster by-election in Dunfirmline.
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The result of the by-election for the Milton ward of Glasgow City Council, held on Thursday 16th February 2006 has been declared.
Gilbert Davidson Scottish Labour Party 623 votes (40%)
Norman Fraser Scottish Liberal Democrats 44 votes (3%)
William McAllister Scottish National Party (SNP) 773 votes (49.6%)
Angela McCormick Scottish Socialist Party 93 votes (6%)
David Meikle Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party 24 votes (1.5%)
The SNP majority was 150. The turn-out was 32.2%
The result means a change to the overall political composition of Glasgow City Council, with Labour having 70 councillors, the SNP have 4 and the Liberal Democrats have 3 members, and the Conservatives and SSP with 1 apiece.
The by-election has been caused by the resignation of Councillor Gary Gray.
The Result of the Council Election in May 2003 was: -
Gary Gray, Scottish Labour Party 1033 (52.62%)
Joe Kerr, Scottish National Party 638 (32.50%)
James Stuart, Scottish Liberal Democrats 83 (4.23%)
William Young, Scottish Socialist Party 209 (10.65%)
Majority 395; % Poll 37.8%
Losing elections is starting to look like a habit for the Scottish Labour Party.
A week after the Dunfermline by-election, they were on the receiving end of another electoral kick in the polls when the SNP won the Glasgow council ward of Milton last week.
The Scottish Socialist Party, after a strong campaign on local issues, came third with 6 per cent.
It's a significant victory for the SNP, their first in an area of major deprivation in Glasgow since the '80s.
It contradicts the claims of some political commentators that the Dunfermline result proved independence is no longer an issue, or that the Lib Dems are shaping up to be the major opposition to Labour in Scotland.
What these two results prove is that people are thinking carefully about how best to jolt Labour, and voting accordingly.
The Lib Dems' shock win in Dunfermline came as they flooded the constituency with party workers and material.
Seemingly on a ventilator in the political intensive care ward, the crisis ridden party still managed to portray themselves as most likely to beat Labour.
They didn't have a hope in Milton, and this time achieved less than half the vote of the SSP at 2.8 per cent.
The SNP on the other hand had a candidate, Billy McAllister, with a track record as a respected local activist and have consistently run a close second in Milton in recent years.
To unseat Labour, they were the obvious choice.
SSP councillor Keith Baldassara has worked closely with Billy, in particular in the campaign to stop the transfer of Glasgow's council housing. Keith told the Voice:
'Unlike most victories for mainstream political parties, this is a positive result for the people of Milton. In Billy McAllister they've elected a councillor with an outstanding track record as a community activist.
'The sting in the tail for New Labour is that their defeat comes after they set a 0 per cent increase in Council Tax in a budget they tried to portray as progressive, which in fact was loaded with cuts and had nothing to do with looking after the interests of people in Glasgow.'
The SSP's candidate was Angela McCormick, also a hard working, long term local activist.
'I'm very pleased with our result,' she told the Voice.
'We got 93 good votes, and we had to fight for every one of them - we definitely felt the squeeze from the SNP on their way to giving Labour a gubbing.
'During the campaign one of the local issues we took up was cuts to local bus services, and we'll keep going with that. We're not going to disappear from Milton now the election's over.'
THE boss of a community centre funded by public cash faces an official probe over criminal links.
The crackdown follows years of complaints about Eddie Lyons Snr - boss of Glasgow's Chirnsyde Community Initiative.
We first revealed concern at Lyons' role at the centre in 2003 and only last month told how £63,000 of drugs money had been seized in a house owned by him.
Glasgow City Council fund the centre's activities to the tune of £80,000 a year.
But arts and culture department boss, First Minister's wife Bridget McConnell, has threatened to pull the plug on the cash.
City councillors have ordered an independent probe into how the centre is run and the results of Disclosure Scotland checks on Lyons' crime record.
And they have withheld HALF this year's funding until the outcome of the probe.
Lyons, 48, has been linked to organised crime and members of his family have stood trial for rape, violence and drug dealing.
Several years ago a man was almost beaten to death after a confrontation at Chirnsyde, in the tough Milton area.
Eddie Snr. was among several Lyons charged over the sickening attack but only one young associate was convicted.
And a firebomb attack at Chirnsyde, over which a member of the rival Daniel clan was charged, prompted fears for kids' safety.
The new probe follows the shock by-election victory of SNP councillor Billy McAllister in the Labour stronghold.
But last night he predicted another whitewash following four previous council reports into the workings at Chirnsyde. He said: "It's vital that the investigation examines issues of criminality and violence at Chirnsyde and the Disclosure Scotland checks on Eddie Lyons Snr. "My fears are that this will be yet another council whitewash prompted purely by my election.
"Countless people have told us about their concerns over the Lyons family but they are too scared to speak out."
Last night a Glasgow City Council spokesman said: "We are in discussion with the management committee of Chirnsyde regarding setting up an independent inquiry at this facility.
"The exact nature of the areas to be examined is subject to discussions between the council and the management committee."
Hard on the heels of its disastrous performance in the Dunfermline parliamentary by-election on February 9, the Labour Party lost a safe council seat to the Scottish National Party (SNP) in a by-election in Milton, Glasgow, on February 16.
In the Westminster seat of Dunfermline, a massive Labour majority was overturned by the Liberal Democrats. Labour was routed despite high-profile support from New Labour leader-in-waiting and Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, who claims to live in the Dunfermline constituency (when he's not living at 11 Downing Street).
Despite running a very strong campaign that was well-received in the streets and on the doorsteps, Scottish Socialist Party candidate John McAllion failed to increase the SSP's share of the vote, as voters queued up to register a protest vote against Labour by turning to the Liberal Democrats.
Writing in the February 17 Scottish Socialist Voice, the SSP's Ken Ferguson and Alan McCombes castigated the dishonesty of the Liberal Democrats: 'Voters were determined to give New Labour a kick Ñ and the main question in most people's minds was which was the best boot to use. In the event, the anti-Labour revolt coalesced behind the LibDems. The [LibDem] party, in keeping with its own time-honoured tradition, ran a thoroughly dishonest campaign. Thus we had LibDem opposition to the Council Tax trumpeted by new MP Willie Rennie as his party MSPs voted to keep it at Holyrood. The LibDem campaign opposed the plan for a Forth Bridge toll while LibDems on the Bridge authority voted for it.
'The LibDems have only 4500 members in Scotland. But they were able to draw upon vast UK-wide resources to finance and staff an awesome campaign. Over 100 telephone canvassers, based in a call centre in Somerset, worked day and night. Over 500 activists were drafted into the constituency from across the UK. An assortment of full colour newspapers were produced focusing on local problems and heavily promoting the candidate, Willie Rennie.'
A week later, it was the SNP's turn to rout New Labour. In the Milton council ward, one of the most deprived areas in Glasgow, SNP candidate Billy McAllister polled 49.6% of the vote to Labour's 40%.
The SSP came third, with a creditable 6% of the vote, well ahead of the Liberal Democrats (2.8%) and the Conservatives (1.5%).
In the February 24 Scottish Socialist Voice, SSP councillor Keith Baldassara commented: 'The sting in the tail for New Labour is that their defeat comes after they set a 0 per cent increase in Council Tax in a budget they tried to portray as progressive, which in fact was loaded with cuts and had nothing to do with looking after the interests of people in Glasgow.'
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