All Right For Some
Here's a great news story from BBC Scotland which highlights a growing row over the fees paid to council chief executives for acting as 'Returning Officers' in various elections and referendums.
But what a lot of people don't realise is that these payments are fully pensionable, so they boost the pensions of already well paid council officials.
So in North Lanarkshire, for example, the lowest paid council employees are fighting for their pensions to be made pensionable, yet the highest paid official (the CEO) has no such problem.
Doesn't seem fair or just and that's why Action 4 Equality Scotland is appealing North Lanarkshire's decision to Scottish Ministers - the result of which is due to be announced later this week.
Call to reform Scottish election chief payouts
- 5 May 2016
- Scotland
There are growing calls to reform the system that gives highly-paid council chiefs extra payouts for acting as election returning officers.
Some local authority heads can get extra payments of tens of thousands of pounds for being in charge of election results in their area.
With two major polls in the next seven weeks, almost £500,000 could be shared between 32 voting chiefs.
The UK Cabinet Office, which sets the rate, said fees were kept under review.
It said the role was "statutorily independent from their normal employment".
However, Willie Sullivan, the director of Electoral Reform Society Scotland, said the public would find the sums involved "quite remarkable".
The society that represents council chiefs, SOLACE Scotland, said the system was "old fashioned" and would probably benefit from review.
The biggest beneficiary of the payments will be Glasgow City Council chief executive Annemarie O'Donnell, who receives an annual salary of £160,000.
Election fees
As returning officer for eight constituencies and the Glasgow region in the Scottish Parliament election, she will be paid more than £33,000.
Her role in the EU referendum will bring to more than £77,000 her fees for running three polls in two years.
A council spokesman said Ms O'Donnell had "always donated a portion of election fees to charity".
Lindsay Freeland, South Lanarkshire Council's chief executive, could receive more than £52,000 for running four polls in three years.
Meanwhile Fife Council said the £62,450 claimed by its head Steven Grimmond would be shared with his depute returning officer.
| Potential earnings of Scotland's top returning officers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Executive | Salary | Indyref 2014 | UK election 2015 | Scottish election 2016 | EU referendum |
| Annemarie O'Donnell (Glasgow) | £160,000 approx | - | £22,663 | £33,238 | £21,111 |
| Steven Grimmond (Fife) | £147,622 | £13,789 | £14,353 | £21,645 | £12,663 |
| Lindsay Freeland (S.Lanarkshire) | £149,000 - £156,000 | £11,776 | £11,886 | £17,188 | £11,515 |
| Andrew Kerr (Edinburgh) | £165,000 | - | - | £25,866 | £15,492 |
| Steve Barron (Highland) | £142,926 | £8,821 | £9,017 | £13,690 | £8,131 |
| Angela Scott (Aberdeen) | £144,000 (estimated) | £8,267 | £6,512 | £13,081 | £7,266 |
The level of fees has led to calls for returning officer responsibilities to be included in the formal role of council chief executives.
Willie Sullivan, the director of Electoral Reform Society Scotland, said returning officers had a "vital and sometimes tricky job to do".
He added: "However I'm sure the public will find these sums quite remarkable. The importance of these roles makes one wonder why they are not already part of the job description.
"Then perhaps some of this money could be spent on convincing Scots who don't vote, the majority of whom are poor, that voting is worthwhile."
Routine duties
Navraj Singh Ghaleigh, a lecturer in electoral law at the University of Edinburgh, called for the "wildly generous" payments system to be reviewed and updated.
He added: "With elections and referendums occurring once a year (twice this year), running ballots is now a routine part of the duties of local authorities.
"There are procedures and practices in place for the operation of elections which are for all practical purposes, core to the duties of local authorities. As such large ad hoc payments and allowances (which are of course superannuated) are not the appropriate form of reward.
"Not only are the sums very substantial, it is far from clear that they should go to chief execs, rather than their staff.
"It also raises the larger question of whether local authorities should undertake such duties at all, or whether a professionalised electoral service (under the auspices of perhaps the Electoral Commission) might not be better placed."
