North Lanarkshire Update

While I was writing about the new Labour leader of North Lanarkshire Council the other day I had a flashback about the now discredited practice of paying final salary pension schemes.

Because these days elected councillors like Jim Logue are able to access the Local Government Pension Scheme and save for a pension, thanks to the Scottish Government and SLARC, an advisory body to Scottish Ministers on which I served for several years.

But SLARC (Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee) proposed an 'average salary' pension scheme for elected councillors which meant that they get out (in terms of benefits), broadly speaking what they have paid in by way of contributions during their membership of the pension scheme. 

As opposed to an employee's pension being based on their final salary which in Jim Logue's case could have been highly lucrative because he may be leader of North Lanarkshire for not much more than one year with the next round of Scottish council elections due in May 2017.

Sounds daft, I know, but that is how public sector pension schemes used to operate with senior official benefiting hugely from being promoted into much higher paid jobs at the end of their careers. 

So if SLARC had not acted sensibly, the story could have been very different, though thankfully the committee and Scottish Ministers agreed that 'average salary' pension schemes are much fairer and prevent higher paid workers from being subsidised by their lower paid colleagues.

No prizes for guessing that the trade unions fought to retain final salary pension scheme to the bitter end. 



The Herald reported the other day that Labour-run North Lanarkshire Council has a new leader, Councillor Jim Logue.

Now I don't know Jim Logue, but I assume he has been member of the Labour Group of councillors which has run North Lanarkshire for the past two decades with the help and professional advice of its highly paid, senior officials. 

So if I were Councillor Logue, I would be setting up an independent inquiry into the terrible mess that North Lanarkshire has made of delivering equal for all these years. 

I suspect it's no coincidence that the former Labour leader, Jim McCabe, has stood down just a year out from the next round of council elections in May 2017, but if the Council does not change its ways I predict the Labour Group will be shown the door by the voters next year. 

  

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14310230.Scots_council_has_new_leader_for_the_first_time_in_almost_two_decades/


Scots council has new leader for the first time in almost two decades


Labour councillor Jim Logue becomes the first new leader of North Lanarkshire Council in nearly 20 years


By Gerry Braiden - The Herald

ONE of Scotland's biggest councils has appointed its first new leader in almost 20 years.

Labour members have selected Jim Logue as their new political head at North Lanarkshire Council

The move came after the veteran Jim McCabe stood down as leader.