SCOTLAND'S longest-serving council leader is to stand down.

Eddie McAvoy, who has headed South Lanarkshire Council for 17 years, has announced he is retiring from politics at next May's local government elections.

Mr McAvoy, who is in his 70s, laid claim to the title of 'longest serving council leader' after fellow Labour stalwart Jim McCabe, who led North Lanarkshire since 1998, announced he was quitting in February following an internal coup.

He told his Labour Group colleagues of his decision not to stand for re-election on Thursday.

But the move creates uncertainty over who will lead one of the most successful Labour groups when he stands down. Local MSP Monica Lennon would have been a frontrunner until her election in May, while Chris Thompson, another well-regarded councillor and chair of South Lanarkshire's enterprise committee, is also stepping down.

Larkhall councillor Jackie Burns, Cambuslang's Richard Tullett and Susan Kerr, wife of firmer Scottish Executive minister Andy, are amongst those tipped as successor.

One source said: "Eddie's not the type to hand over the reins while he's still in the building. He'll walk out the door as leader."

South Lanarkshire is also a key target for the SNP, which is looking to cement its grip on Scottish politics by taking control of a raft of councils next May.

Mr McAvoy said: “Ultimately it is for others to judge the work I have done, but I think I can point to a number of significant achievements, many of which have been life-changing for local people. I am particularly proud that we have improved the lives and life chances of all our young people, through our schools modernisation programme. We have created the best schools estate in Europe, and that’s a legacy I am proud of.

“For the next 10 months I will continue to work hard on behalf of all our local communities, especially the young, the elderly and the vulnerable. “Even before I became a councillor I spent my time working to make life better for ordinary people, as a shop steward. Over 20 years as a councillor, and especially in the last 17 years as Council Leader, it has been a great privilege to do that for people across South Lanarkshire.

Mr McAvoy was first elected to the council in 1995 during the local government re-organisation. He initially served as deputy leader to Tom McCabe, who left to become a Scottish Executive minister, becoming leader in May 1999.

Before entering politics Mr McAvoy was a full-time convener for the Amalgamated Engineering Union at Hoover in Cambuslang. During 27 years with the firm, Mr McAvoy became chair of Hoover's UK negotiating committee and its UK Pensions Advisory committee. He also led campaigns over many years to keep the factory in Cambuslang before production eventually moved to China in 2005.