Chaos in South Lanarkshire
The Sunday Post reported yesterday that South Lanarkshire Council is in chaos - and has called in a team of external auditors to investigate councillor expenses.
No other newspaper seemed to pick the story up over the weekend - but it follows a scam by a gang of foreign criminals in which the council managed to lose £100,000.
In the fall out from this scandal, two SNP councillors allegedly called for the member of staff involved to be sacked - and then all hell seems to have broken loose.
According to the Sunday Post, the furore resulted in claim and counter claim - some involving anonymous allegations - with e-mails containing supposedly confidential information flying in every direction.
Apparently the ruling Labour Group also threatened to force a vote of no confidence in the council's chief executive - Archie Strang.
The Labour group in Edinburgh City Council did the self-same thing with its chief executive (Paul Lowenberg) many years ago - and got into all sorts of bother.
The end result is that the chief executive has called in Pricewaterhouse Coopers (as external auditors) to examine councillors' spending - going back to 2005 and beyond that date if they wish to do so.
Interesting time indeed - because once you open a can of worms - all kinds of unexpected details can spill out.
If you have any of the e-mails reported by the Sunday Post - send a copy on to Mark Irvine at: markirvine@compuserve.com
No other newspaper seemed to pick the story up over the weekend - but it follows a scam by a gang of foreign criminals in which the council managed to lose £100,000.
In the fall out from this scandal, two SNP councillors allegedly called for the member of staff involved to be sacked - and then all hell seems to have broken loose.
According to the Sunday Post, the furore resulted in claim and counter claim - some involving anonymous allegations - with e-mails containing supposedly confidential information flying in every direction.
Apparently the ruling Labour Group also threatened to force a vote of no confidence in the council's chief executive - Archie Strang.
The Labour group in Edinburgh City Council did the self-same thing with its chief executive (Paul Lowenberg) many years ago - and got into all sorts of bother.
The end result is that the chief executive has called in Pricewaterhouse Coopers (as external auditors) to examine councillors' spending - going back to 2005 and beyond that date if they wish to do so.
Interesting time indeed - because once you open a can of worms - all kinds of unexpected details can spill out.
If you have any of the e-mails reported by the Sunday Post - send a copy on to Mark Irvine at: markirvine@compuserve.com
