SENIOR Holyrood politicians today stand accused of scuppering Glasgow's super-casino bid.

Scottish Executive Ministers refused to back the bid despite the fact it would have brought 3000 jobs to the city and given the economy a huge boost.

As far back as last September, the Evening Times warned the "fence-sitting" stance of ministers could cost Glasgow the casino.

And yesterday we were proved right with Manchester landing the jackpot.

Explaining their decision in a report, the Casino Advisory panel made a point of noting there was "little support" from the Executive for the Glasgow bid.

Today Glasgow City Council leader Steven Purcell said there was no doubt more "explicit support" would have strengthened Glasgow's case.

"I am bitterly disappointed by the lukewarm approach from the Scottish Executive," he said.

"Their own economic research supported our conclusions that this would have brought enormous economic advantages to Glasgow and opportunities for people in the city to access jobs.

"Up to 3000 jobs were estimated to be riding on the back of this and that is something we should have been grasping with both hands."

Mr Purcell said he wrote to every member of the Holyrood Cabinet detailing the city's bid and outlining the advantages it could bring to the city. But Ministers decided that, while they would not oppose super-casinos, they would not back any individual bid.

Scottish Enterprise's lack of support for the bid was also highlighted.

The report states: "While support has been expressed by neighbouring local authorities as far away as Edinburgh, little support is given at the level of the Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise support is not obviously specific to Glasgow."

According to documents available on the panel's website, Scottish Enterprise's support appears to extend only to a four-line letter to the city council.

In what appears to be a token gesture, it says: Scottish Enterprise recognises the considerable economic development opportunities that a regional casino would bring, not only at a local level in terms of employment opportunities but also nationally, as a contribution towards enhancing Scotland's tourism offering.' Mr Purcell continued: "I think it is incumbent upon the enterprise and economic development agencies of the Scottish Executive to support cities when we are launching ambitious bids to land 3000 jobs.

"It was a bid that received unanimous support from all the public agencies and business organisations in the city."

He said the council would be monitoring the impact of the super-casino on the Manchester economy in the hope of persuading Holyrood and Westminster politicians to back Glasgow in the next round of casino licensing.

A Scottish Executive spokesman said: "Local councils are best placed to decide on the merits of having a casino in their area.

"Ministers, by endorsing a particular bid, may also give the impression they have given the green light to a planning application which has yet to be decided. That could mean them facing a conflict of interest.

"We do not accept our neutral stance affected Glasgow's bid in any way."

The advisory panel cited poverty as one of its reasons for awarding Manchester the super-casino saying: "Of all the proposals before us, Manchester has the highest ranking in terms of multiple deprivation."

However, that will cut little ice with experts in Glasgow where the latest survey - by Save the Children last month - showed Glasgow's Parkhead was the worst constituency in the UK for child poverty.

Other supporters of the failed bid vowed it would not derail their efforts to rejuvenate the city.

A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Marketing Bureau: "Glasgow has a well-rounded mixed economy and there are plenty other opportunities in the pipeline that we will put into our tourism strategy.

"We will just regroup and get on with it."

Peter Kearns, executive director of Clyde Waterfront, the body overseeing the Clydeside regeneration efforts, said he was "disappointed" at the decision but that "the regeneration is not dependent on it."

A spokesman for the advisory panel said: "They took notice of the Scottish Executive remarks in the same way as they considered those of the Northwest Regional Assembly which covers Manchester." We told you so ... but the Executive still didn't listen to us

Five months ago we warned of the consequences if the Scottish Executive failed to lend its full support for the city's super-casino bid.

Our editorial of September 13 read: The Executive's shameful decision to sit on the fence rather than backing Glasgow's bid for a super-casino is a dereliction of duty.

When MSPs, from Jack McConnell down, were elected they were put in place to make the big decisions which affect each and every one of us.

By refusing to make a choice on such a vital issue they have let the people of Glasgow and Scotland down.

And, while Enterprise Minister Nicol Stephen is the frontman taking the flak, Mr McConnell should not escape criticism. Make no mistake, if Mr McConnell had wanted Holyrood to back the bid he could have made it happen.

The First Minister and his team had the chance to show they had the courage to support the bid regardless of the risk of some political fallout from those who oppose it.

Instead Mr McConnell and his cohorts have displayed cowardice which has the potential to damage Glasgow's campaign and, with it, slowing the progress of the city's regeneration.

If the city loses out on the super-casino, Mr McConnell and his colleagues have only themselves to blame if they pay the price at the ballot box."