Council leader Elaine Murray to retire

The leader of Dumfries and Galloway Council has decided to retire from frontline politics.

Councillor Elaine Murray, who has led the council for the last five years, told Representing Border she will not stand in Scotland's upcoming local elections.

She previously served as a Scottish Labour MSP for 17 years.

Speaking about her decision, she said: "I'm 67 years old, I'll have been an elected member for 27 out of the last 28 years and I am standing down to seek other challenges."

Asked by Greg Hoare if she had any regrets, Elaine Murray said she regretted having to make cuts "because of the restrictions placed by central government".

She said there had been a "power shift from the local to the national" in Scotland, and local government had been "diminished" and "disempowered" over the years.