Glasgow - Spending Public Money
Glasgow City Council is making the news headlines again with a great scoop by Paul Hutcheon in the Daily Record focusing on the extravagant expenses claims of the Lord Provost, Eva Bolander, whose council salary in 2018/19 was reported as £41,545.96.
Now the first thing to say is that 'civic heads' (including provosts) are entitled to claim legitimate expenses which help them to carry out their civic duties.
But it's also fair to say that Glasgow's SNP Lord Provost has gone too far in submitting claims for things that have surely nothing to do with her role as a civic head.
Why would she claim for designer spectacles at £358, for example, or 23 pairs of shoes, or five coats, especially as the Lord Provost is chauffeur driven everywhere - sometimes in the City Council's nearly new Rolls Royce, of course.
So while everyone has had a great laugh at the news of the Lord Provost claiming her knickers on council expenses, the serious side to this whole affair is that the Scottish Government abolished the independent body (SLARC) which used to monitor and oversee councillors salaries and expenses.
SLARC (Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee) no longer exists and was effectively disbanded by the SNP's Finance Secretary, Derek Mackay, in 2013 so the following quote in the Daily Record article from a Glasgow City Council spokesperson is just plain wrong.
“The national committee that oversees councillors’ pay recognises that the requirement to represent their city at hundreds of events means Lord Provosts often incur personal expenses."
I know this because I was a serving member of SLARC for several years and there is absolutely no way this kind of abuse and extravagance would be taking place in 2019, if the SLARC Committee was still in place with its advisory, monitoring and oversight role.
The real problem, if you ask me, is the lack of common sense and independent scrutiny because the SLARC scheme is and always has been an expenses scheme - it is not an 'allowance' which civic heads are entitled to spend.
More to follow tomorrow.
Glasgow's Lord Provost billed taxpayer for 23 pairs of shoes during £8000 spending spree
Eva Bolander also claimed for six jackets, five coats, underwear and a £200 hat with critics branding the SNP councillor 'Imelda Marcos'.
Glasgow's Lord Provost billed taxpayer for 23 pairs of shoes during £8000 spending spree (Image: Daily Record/PA)
By Paul Hutcheon - The Daily Record
Glasgow's Lord Provost billed the taxpayer for 23 pairs of shoes as part of an £8000 spending spree on clothing and beauty products.
Eva Bolander, an SNP councillor, also claimed for six jackets, five coats, underwear and a £200 hat made by a designer used by supermodel Kate Moss.
She handed in receipts for make-up, £751 of haircuts, glasses worth £358 and pampering that included getting her toenails painted.
He said: “These expenses claims are an absolute disgrace. We need an urgent review of the Lord Provost’s spending and maximum
transparency.
“At a time when services are being cut, Glaswegians will not understand why their Lord Provost believes it is appropriate to charge the taxpayer for kitting herself out with a new wardrobe.
“Claiming for more than 20 pairs of shoes is frankly incredible. Does she think she is Imelda Marcos?”
The Lord Provost chairs council meetings, represents the local authority on ceremonial occasions and receives ambassadors to the city. A civic allowance helps her fulfil public duties.
Swedish-born Bolander – who represents a council ward that includes Anderston and Yorkhill – became the first EU national to be chosen as the city’s first citizen.
Her predecessor, Sadie Docherty, made no charge on the public purse between May 2015 and May 2017 but Bolander has claimed for more than 150 items.
Hundreds of local authority staff have been laid off in recent years and the council is facing court action after being accused of illegally denying temporary accommodation to homeless applicants.
Between May 2017 and August 2019, Bolander claimed £1150 for 23 pairs of shoes, £665 for five coats, up to £374 for six jackets and nearly £415 for eight pairs of trousers.
The taxpayer was also charged £389 for two sets of fabric – expensive Harris Tweed – and about £992 for 14 dresses and £435 for seven blazers. Four skirts cost the public purse about £143, a blouse came in at £55 and unidentifiable items cost £824.
23 pairs of shoes - £1150
5 coats - £665
6 jackets – up to £374.50
8 trousers - up to £415
14 dresses - up to £992
7 blazers - £435
Underwear - £152
Make-up - £66
10 haircuts – £751
20 nail treatments – £479
Jacket fabric – £389
Hosiery – £145
4 skirts – £143
1 blouse – £55
5 shirts– £103
Misc – £824
Watch – £16.99
Spectacles – £358
2 hats – £240
Sunglasses – £29.99
3 bags – up to £147.17
Gloves- £11.98
Scarf - £17.50
Jewellery - £14.98
Suitcase – £65
Bolander also got her nails done 20 times in two years and treated herself to 10 taxpayer-funded haircuts to the tune of over £751. Make-up cost £66.75.
Other items included a pair of sunglasses at £29.99, a £16.99 watch, three bags worth about £147, gloves, a £65 suitcase and a scarf.
Judy Murray also commissioned a Chambers hat to wear at her tennis star son Andy’s wedding.
Another big-ticket item was £200 for a “bespoke” coat, which had an “art panel” on the back.
She also claimed £308 for two pairs of shoes – navy suede and black leather – from Watford-based Sole Bliss on the same day. By contrast, the school clothing grant is £110 for a child from a low-income family.
Glasgow's Lord Provost Eva Bolander has claimed for more than 150 items (Image: DAILY RECORD)Bolander’s favourite shop for a retail splurge was John Lewis, where she spent more than £500 in one day on shoes, a blazer, trousers, a top and a dress. Her claims for hosiery added £145 to a bill that totalled £8224 over two years.
The council deducted £7.70 from one claim due to “budgetary restrictions”.
Some of the information in the receipts was withheld on the grounds that the individual concerned would not “expect their personal details to be released”.
The Lord Provost was embroiled in controversy last year after it emerged that a Rolls-Royce had been gifted to the council by an unnamed benefactor, later revealed as businessman Boyd Tunnock.
After receiving the gift on behalf of the council, Bolander said at the time: “I want Glasgow to show its best face to the world and this gift will help us do that. It’s a show-stopping car and a tremendous asset.”
A council spokesman said: “The national committee that oversees councillors’ pay recognises that the requirement to represent their city at hundreds of events means Lord Provosts often incur personal expenses.
“For that reason, the Scottish Government allocates a civic allowance to each council. For Glasgow City Council, this is subject to a yearly maximum of £5000.”
