Spending Public Money

South Lanarkshire Council continues to take a real pasting in the press - little wonder if you ask me - because the antics of the council are becoming increasingly ridiculous.

Here's another article which appeared in yesterday's Daily Record - on the legal costs being run up by the council in seeking to deny equal pay claims - from their own low paid employees. 

Now the council has deep pockets and long arms - when it comes to spending other people's money - public money of course.

But the difference now is that local and national newspapers are both beginning to look critically at how South Lanarkshire Council is being run - and challenge some of its spending decisions.

Which is good because right - not might - will triumph in the end. 

Council forks out £1m fighting equal pay legal battle

SOUTH Lanarkshire Council refuse to settle an equal pay case with 3000 staff who claim they were paid up to half the wages of male co-workers.

THE council which gave a £500,000 pension pay-off to their finance chief has squandered £1million on a legal battle against women workers, it emerged yesterday.

South Lanarkshire Council is refusing to settle an equal pay case with 3000 staff who claim they were paid up to half of the wages of male co-workers.

The council is appealing a key tribunal ruling that the women had a right to have their case formally heard.

They have dragged the case out for seven years and some of the women have died while the legal wrangle rumbles on.

It is the longest running equal pay claim in Scotland and has already cost the taxpayer £418,000 in outside legal costs.

Legal experts say the final bill could potentially be double that figure.

Last week we revealed the council had given former finance chief Linda Hardie a retirement deal of £106,000 severance plus £427,000 paid into her pension.

South Lanarkshire has been condemned by the public spending watchdog Audit Scotland for allowing Hardie to spend six months at home on her full £127,000-a-year salary before picking up her deal. Government ministers are also demanding answers from the council about the pay-off as Hardie’s department lost £100,000 of taxpayers’ money to fraudster Mangal Singh Dhami, 45, who simply rang up then sent a bogus email claiming to be from a council supplier. He now faces jail.

Her department also made £38million worth of “arithmetical errors” in budget cuts.

Yesterday the lawyer fighting for the women said it was a waste of public money to stretch out a case that should have been settled.

Carole Fox said: “The council has decided to use further taxpayers’ money to fight a losing battle.

“Neighbouring councils like North Lanarkshire and Glasgow took the political decision to settle equal pay cases. Why not South Lanarkshire?”

Fox claims her team tried to persuade the council to settle but they “dug a hole and just kept digging”.

South Lanarkshire Council could have to pay up £200million if it loses the case. Some women could receive as much as £110,000 compensation.