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| Councilman Steven Purcell |
The leader of the City Council in Glasgow, Scotland announced Friday that he has split with his wife and he is gay. According the Scotsman newspaper, Councilman Steven Purcell says he will carry on as head of the administration and insisted he has ambitious plans for Scotland's biggest city.
Purcell said he wanted to boost Glasgow's economy and spread wealth to the city's most deprived areas, the Scotsman reports.
Speculation over his private life has been growing in council circles over the past weeks.
The Glasgow Daily Record reports that close pal Jim Tait said Friday:
"The reason he is speaking about this now is to put an end to the rumours which were circulating. Obviously, it has been a distraction and he just wants to put the facts on the record. Otherwise, it's a private matter."
As the political leader of Scotland's biggest local authority, Purcell, 34, is ultimately responsible for 37,000 staff and a £2.2bn budget. Purcell's wife, Katrina, a health worker, will continue to support him as a friend, reports the Scotsman.
As well as his council position, Purcell is also a board member of Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, the Careers Service Advisory Board and of the Labour Party's Scottish Executive Committee.
Purcell was unavailable for comment, reports the Daily Record.
