CONSERVATIVES helped ensure an overwhelming majority threw-out the minority SNP administration’s South Lanarkshire Council budget.

The Tory, Independent and Labour groups rejected plans that would have seen further decline in the area’s roads and delayed the introduction of free-at-three nursery provision.

A cross-party opposition budget was instead adopted by 35 votes to 24. Only SNP councillors backed their administration’s stance.

Councillor Alex Allison, the leader of the opposition Conservative Group, said: “Setting a budget demands that elected members rise far above their political differences.

“Our budget fully protects all the council’s actions to fight poverty, gets money for roads, ensures working families will benefit from nursery places, and it insists on greater transparency in how the council is run.

“We have always been clear that we would work with others in the best interests of everyone in South Lanarkshire.

“Today the Tories and our counterparts in the other opposition parties did exactly that and put the needs of our communities above our political differences.”