Former provost named new council leader
FORMER provost Robert Moran has been chosen as the new leader of Inverclyde Council.
Councillor Moran was elected unopposed as the leader following a full council meeting on Thursday 5 December 2024.
He replaces Councillor Stephen McCabe, who stepped down as leader last month.
Cllr Moran, who currently represents Inverclyde East Central (Ward 2), was first elected as a councillor in 1996 and served for two years before being re-elected in 2003 and has served continuously since then.
He has held a variety of positions within the council and most notably served as Provost of Inverclyde from 2012 until 2017.
Cllr Moran said: “It’s an honour and a privilege to be elected as the leader of Inverclyde Council.
“I was fortunate enough to represent the area as provost for four years and I look forward to serving as leader of the council and working collaboratively with council officers and councillors of all parties and none to deliver for the people of Inverclyde.
“There are many challenges ahead and none more so than the financial challenges right across the public sector which makes it increasingly difficult each year for councils to deliver a balanced budget while protecting jobs and frontline services.
“I will continue fighting for more funding and opportunities for Inverclyde to improve the lives of the people we serve.
“But there is also lots to look forward to and celebrate.
“Inverclyde is a wonderful place with a caring and compassionate community who, like myself, want to make the area an even better place to live, work, visit, and do business.”
Cllr Moran is a former convener of health and social care and was a Children’s Panel member for a number of years, also serving as Inverclyde’s representative on the Area Support Team, which provides support to the panel.
He also previously served as convener of the council’s safe, sustainable communities committee, served on the Strathclyde Police and Fire boards for eight years, was a member of COSLA Executive Committees for nine years, and was also the council's health champion.
Prior to entering politics, Cllr Moran worked as a fabricator and steelwork supervisor on oil rigs and in shipyards.
He was most recently chair of the Inverclyde Integrated Joint Board (IJB) and chair of the General Purposes Board but has now stepped down from these positions to focus on the role of council leader.
Following the council meeting, Councillor Colin Jackson will replace Cllr Moran as chair of the General Purposes Board, which is the council’s civic licensing regulatory board.
Cllr Jackson will also replace Cllr Moran as a member of the IJB – the organisation that oversees local health and social care functions delegated to it by Inverclyde Council and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board and delivered by Inverclyde Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP).
A new chair of the IJB will be elected at a later date.
Other key changes decided at full council were the appointment of depute council leader Councillor Natasha McGuire as the convener of the policy and resources committee with Cllr Moran named vice-convener.
The council meeting is available to watch on the Inverclyde Council YouTube channel and papers from the meeting are in the ‘Committees & Meetings’ section of the council website or via the links on this page.