THE fate of Glasgow's Lord Provost, Patrick Lally, hangs in the balance today when the Court of Session hears evidence on attempts by his City Council to remove him from office, writes John MacCalman, Municipal Correspondent.

Mr Lally was granted interim interdict recently, temporarily blocking moves by the council to change its standing orders so that the Lord Provost and his depute could be removed from office at any time.

Today's hearing in the Court of Session will hear evidence regarding a council meeting in March which the Lord Provost abruptly ended before such changes could be made to the standing orders. With the Lord Provost and opposition members absent, the council, effectively the Labour members, voted through the standing order change. The court has to decide whether the latter part of the meeting was lawful.

The hearing may be delayed, however, because a witness, Mr Peter McCann, the Lord Provost's solicitor, could be unable to appear through illness.