Glasgow - Former SNP Councillor Speaks Out

A serving Glasgow councillor, Cllr Elspeth Kerr, speaks out over the SNP 'gaming the system' on councillor salaries.

Now there ought to be procedures in place at Glasgow City Council, within the SNP and at MSPs/MPs offices to ensure public money is being well spent - and that councillors are not taking on outside roles which conflict with their council responsibilities.

So well said Cllr Kerr - I suspect this story has a long way to run yet!  

  

SNP, Arrogance and Public Money (October 18, 2021)

I haven't received a response to my two letters to Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf regarding their use of public money to employ Glasgow councillors - who already have full-time salaried jobs with Glasgow City Council. 

Dear Ms Sturgeon

Public Money and SNP Politicians

I understand that a Glasgow councillor with a full-time role in Glasgow City Council is also employed in your Glasgow Southside local constituency office.

I would be grateful if you can explain the nature of the councillor's employment in your office - including the time commitment involved and cost to the public purse?

Because it seems extraordinary that a public official is able to draw two public salaries at the same time, especially if one of the roles (eg council role) has already been classified as a full-time commitment and paid accordingly.

I realise, of course, that I am not one of your constituents, but nonetheless I hope you will respond to my enquiry because the issues involved are obviously of much wider public concern.

I look forward to your reply.


Mark Irvine

Dear Mr Yousaf

Public Money and SNP Politicians

I understand that a Glasgow councillor with a full-time role in Glasgow City Council is also employed in your Glasgow Pollok local constituency office.

I would be grateful if you can explain the nature of the councillor's employment in your office - including the time commitment involved and cost to the public purse?

Because it seems extraordinary that a public official is able to draw two public salaries at the same time, especially if one of the roles (eg council role) has already been classified as a full-time commitment and paid accordingly.

I realise, of course, that I am not one of your constituents, but nonetheless I hope you will respond to my enquiry because the issues involved are obviously of much wider public concern.

I look forward to your reply.


Mark Irvine

Arrogant or what? 

I may not be a local constituent of these two Glasgow MSPs, but this is about the use of public money - not money raised within the Glasgow Southside or Glasgow Pollok constituencies.

  

Morally Indefensible Use of Public Funds (October 06, 2021)

Keith Geddes makes a good point about a possible motivation for the SNP gaming the system and using public money to top up the salaries of local councillors - who already have full-time jobs with full-time councillor salaries.

Could it be this arrangement helps to keep key, influential councillors on board so they don't rock the boat and stand up to the SNP leadership or the Scottish Government?

Let's hope Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf clear things up soon because if you ask me, it's a morally indefensible use of public funds.

SNP Gaming the System - What Next? (October 04, 2021)

 

So I've received the usual automatic email from Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf in response to my enquiry about Glasgow SNP MSPs employing Glasgow SNP councillors in their local constituency offices.

As explained in a previous post I may not receive a proper answer to my query on the grounds that I do not live in either the Glasgow Southside or Glasgow Pollok constituencies which is why it would be good if other Glaswegians living in these areas raised the issue as well.

In any event I don't plan to get fobbed off with a response which says this is none of my business because how public money is spent is everyone's business - whether we live in a particular MSP's constituency or not.

SNP Gaming The System - What Next? (October 03, 2021)

 

So I decided to grab the bull by the horns and write directly to Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf - the MSPs for Glasgow Southside and Glasgow Pollok respectively.

Dear Ms Sturgeon

Public Money and SNP Politicians

I understand that a Glasgow councillor with a full-time role in Glasgow City Council is also employed in your Glasgow Southside local constituency office.

I would be grateful if you can explain the nature of the councillor's employment in your office - including the time commitment involved and cost to the public purse?

Because it seems extraordinary that a public official is able to draw two public salaries at the same time, especially if one of the roles (eg council role) has already been classified as a full-time commitment and paid accordingly.

I realise, of course, that I am not one of your constituents, but nonetheless I hope you will respond to my enquiry because the issues involved are obviously of much wider public concern.

I look forward to your reply.


Mark Irvine

Dear Mr Yousaf

Public Money and SNP Politicians

I understand that a Glasgow councillor with a full-time role in Glasgow City Council is also employed in your Glasgow Pollok local constituency office.

I would be grateful if you can explain the nature of the councillor's employment in your office - including the time commitment involved and cost to the public purse?

Because it seems extraordinary that a public official is able to draw two public salaries at the same time, especially if one of the roles (eg council role) has already been classified as a full-time commitment and paid accordingly.

I realise, of course, that I am not one of your constituents, but nonetheless I hope you will respond to my enquiry because the issues involved are obviously of much wider public concern.

I look forward to your reply.


Mark Irvine

Here's hoping I get a serious response from Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf, but if I don't I'm sure there are lots of local constituents in Glasgow Southside and Glasgow Pollok who can step into the breach.

 

SNP Gaming The System - What Next? (September 29, 2021)

Probably a good first step would be to write to the two Glasgow MSPs involved - Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf - and ask them how they justify this extraordinary use of public money by SNP politicians.

Nicola Sturgeon - Nicola.Sturgeon.msp@parliament.scot

Humza Yousaf - Humza.Yousaf.msp@parliament.scot

I'd like to think that Humza and Nicola would respond to queries from the general public, given their role as Scottish Ministers and not just local MSP, but that's maybe a tad optimistic.

So here's what I would ask if I were a local constituent in Glasgow Southside or Glasgow Pollok:

Dear Ms Sturgeon/Mr Yousaf

Public Money and SNP Politicians

I understand that a Glasgow councillor with a full-time role in Glasgow City Council is also employed in your local constituency office.

I would be grateful if you can explain the nature of the councillor's employment in your office - including the time commitment involved and cost to the public purse?

Because it seems extraordinary that a public official is able to draw two public salaries at the same time, especially if one of the roles (eg council role) has already been classified as a full-time commitment and paid accordingly.

I look forward to your reply.

A Glasgow Citizen (whose head doesn't button up the back)

I might just send this letter myself, but I suspect I'll get fobbed off with a bureaucratic response about not being a local constituent. 

  

SNP Gaming The System - What Next? (September 28, 2021)

I've had lots of comments on my blog posts about the SNP gaming the system over councillor salaries in Glasgow:

Why do we allow this......?

Why don't Police Scotland investigate the practice, as it sounds fraudulent?

This blog should have 1000s of retweets

Perhaps we should all contact the Audit Office

Tammany Hall

Gravy Train in operation

This needs to be INVESTIGATED

Money goes to money, bloody chancers the lot of them and they have the brass necks to talk about child poverty etc

Not another SNP scandal - surely?

Scammers

More plundering of our tax money

I suspect that there are those in other Councils also having a dabble in this highly distasteful practice

The police need to be brought in

I want an investigation.......right now!!

I suspect the best way to get to the bottom of what's going on is for the press to become involved - because I'll eat my hat if this SNP practice is prevalent only in Glasgow.

Individuals can play a big part too - by emailing their local MSPs/MPs and asking them to explain how it can be a proper use of public money to employ an SNP councillor in their parliamentary office, if they are already committed to a full-time council position.

Depending on the commitment required to work in an MSP's or MP's office this could also be an issue for backbench councillors as well.

For my part, as well as sharing information on my blog, I think I'll drop the Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, a note because JS switched off the Glasgow 'top ups' last time around - while acting as Finance Minister in 2011.

 

SNP - Gaming The System (September 27, 2021)

Mhairi Hunter and Jennifer Layden are both senior councillors in Glasgow whose roles are regarded as a full-time commitment because of their additional responsibilities over a backbench councillor who is paid at two-thirds of the full time rate.

The full-time rate can vary depending on the nature of the role and according to Glasgow's Register of Interests Jennifer is paid a salary of £35,000 while Mhairi receives £26,000 - around £15 and £20 an hour respectively.

Yet both SNP councillors have other paid jobs - Jennifer works in Humza Yousaf's office having previously enjoyed a similar role in Margaret Ferrier; while Mhairi has a role in none other than Nicola Sturgeon's office and a separate paid commitment as a member of Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board. 

Now I have no problem with councillors being properly remunerated - I was a member of the independent (SLARC) committee which recommended a new salary structure for elected councillors in Scotland in 2006.

Yet the SLARC regime is now being abused because no one has been scrutinising the system since the former SNP finance minister, Derek Mackay - who resigned in disgrace of course, decided that independent oversight was no longer necessary and that the SLARC committee should be disbanded.

The upshot is that we have large sums of public money being used to pay Glasgow councillors decent salaries to perform a wide range of part-time and full-time jobs - yet these salaries are also being topped up by SNP MSPs and MPs by employing councillors in their offices.     

In effect, the system is being 'gamed' when the public interest demands independent scrutiny, openness and transparency.

 

 

Glasgow - More Senior Councillor Salaries (May 06, 2021)

Cllr Mhairi Hunter is another senior councillor in Glasgow with a full-time role as Convener for Health and Social Care Integration for which she's entitled to a salary of @ £26,000 plus expenses.

The salary details are not explained in the Council's Register of Interests, but there are three additional entries declared under Remuneration as follows:

1) Part-time constituency assistant to Nicola Sturgeon MSP

2) Co-Chair Glasgow City Integration Joint Board

3) Board Member Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board

Now I don't know what Nicola Sturgeon's assistants are paid, nor do I know the salary details of the Co-Chair of Glasgow's Integration Joint Board, but the last time I looked Members of GGCHB received a salary of @ £10,000 a year.

I suspect these additional jobs, in this case, are likely to  amount to an overall package worth around £50,000 a year, perhaps more.

On this evidence senior councillors in Glasgow are are pretty high earners and hold down more than one job even though their council salary is calculated on the basis of being a full-time commitment.

I'll be interested to see how other backbench and senior councillor salaries in Glasgow pan out, but since the SNP got rid of SLARC (the independent oversight committee on councillor salaries) no one is keeping a watchful eye on what is going on.

 

SNP, 'Double Dipping' and Public Money (14/04/21)

Humza Yousaf has featured on the blog recently over his antics on social media, which reminds me I must chase up the Scottish Government as I've not had a response to my Stage 2 complaint.

Anyway, the link between the justice secretary and Glasgow councillor Jennifer Layden is that she works as a part-time caseworker in Humza's constituency office, having done so previously for the SNP's Margaret Ferrier. 

Here's what Jennifer Layden's entry in the Council's register of Interest says:

"City Convenor"
"Part time caseworker for Margaret Ferrier MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, January until October 2020"
Part-time caseworker at the office of Humza Yousaf MSP, December 2020

https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/councillorsandcommittees/interests.asp?id=2400&name=Jennifer+Layden

What's odd about this is that Jennifer Layden is a 'senior councillor' with Glasgow City Council which means she receives a 'full-time' salary worth around £35,000, if I remember correctly.

So how can Cllr Layden be doing a full-time job on a public salary, yet still find the time to do another part-time job with the Justice Secretary?

I think we should be told because this looks very much like 'double dipping' at the taxpayers' expense.