Tough at the Top

Here's an interesting story about the goings on inside South Lanarkshire Council - which appears in this week's East Kilbride News.

People still fighting for equal pay in South Lanarkshire will be pleased learn that while it's hard going being one of life's low paid foot-soldiers - it's just as tough at the top.

Council spend thousands extending top official’s contract despite being strapped for cash

Cash-strapped South Lanarkshire Council are to spend thousands of pounds extending the contract of a top official.

Robert McIlwain lost his job as corporate department director in a management shake-up last year.

But he has been controversially kept on to ease the transition to the new departmental structure.

He is also helping oversee next year’s council elections – even though the council’s new chief executive Lindsay Freeland receives part of his salary of around £150,000 for acting as returning officer in elections in South Lanarkshire.

The move has angered East Kilbride Tory councillor Graham Simpson who described Mr McIlwain’s contract extension as “nice work if you can get it”.

Robert McIlwain earned around £120,000-a-year as director of corporate services.

In May last year, the council announced plans to cut the number of departments from seven to five, saving more than £500,0000 a year.

The departments of corporate services and finance were merged and finance head Paul Manning was in October chosen to head the new and enlarged department.

Mr McIlwain was expected to leave the council but it has emerged that his contract, which expired on March 31 last year, has been extended to June of this year.

The move is likely to cost the council around £150,000 at a time when they have had to make savings this financial year of £25m and are seeking £12.4m of cuts for 2012-13. More than 500 posts will also go before the end of March next year.

Mr Freeland became chief executive, on salary of between £142,579 and £149,952, on January 1.

He was appointed returning officer for South Lanarkshire at December’s executive committee meeting, and receives a fee for performing the role.

His predecessor as chief executive, Archie Strang, was paid more than £10,000 a year for acting as returning officer.

Yesterday (Wednesday), a spokesman for the council insisted they were still on track to make savings of £500,000 from the management shake-up despite extending Mr McIlwain’s contract.

She added: “The report on departmental mergers, agreed by the executive committee on May 11, 2011, clearly states the aim is to implement the restructuring by the end of the current financial year.

“These mergers are progressing on schedule and the savings of £550,000 as stated in the report will be made. As part of the merger arrangements, Robert McIlwain’s contract was extended to June 1, 2012.

“This allows a comprehensive handover of responsibilities to the new executive director of finance and corporate resources.

“It also means Mr McIlwain, in his role as depute returning officer, will oversee the significant work required for the May 3 local government elections this year, making use of his considerable and valued expertise.”

SNP Group Leader Anne Maggs said she had no problem with the extension to Mr McIlwain’s contract if it meant there would be no repeat of the “fiasco” at the 2007 elections when glitches with the computerised count delayed declaration of the result.

However, Tory councillor Simpson described as “eye-watering” the amount of money Mr Freeland received for his roles as chief executive and returning officer.

He pointed out that before last year’s Scottish Parliament elections some chief executives donated their returning officer fees to charity.

He added: “It would be particularly disappointing were Mr Freeland to pocket his returning officer fee since South Lanarkshire Council have kept on another highly-paid official, Robert McIlwain, beyond what was to be his leaving date, to make sure the elections this year go smoothly.

“Mr McIlwain was also kept on to ease his successor, Paul Manning, into his new six-figure salaried role – a job he is well capable of doing without any such assistance.

“It's a case of nice work if you can get it for Mr McIlwain and maybe for Mr Freeland too.”