Who's In Whose Pocket In Glasgow?

Here's an updated version of my post about 'Who's In Whose Pocket In Glasgow?'

I think it's fair to say that The City Council's 'Register of Interests' is far from being a model of transparency - for a start councillors are not required to register their council salaries, full or part-time.

Instead councillor salaries are shown as being paid, quarter by quarter, and the latest entries are for the 3rd quarter of 2021/22 - from which visitors to the GCC web site must extrapolate full annual amounts to gain a clear picture.

The position in Glasgow is that lots of councillors have 2nd and sometimes 3rd jobs - even those who have full-time senior roles in the council who are paid full-time council salaries, upwards of £27,000+ a year.

In effect this suggests the councillors involved enjoy earnings of over £40,000+ a year although it's difficult to be precise because there is generally no explanation of the salary or time commitment of their 2nd and 3rd jobs.

So as things stand the public is entitled to know what salary a councillor is paid from the public purse - but not what salary a councillor is paid from the public purse via an MSP (Scottish Minister) or an MP. 

Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney say this is just fine and dandy - I say this is a scandal and that after 15 years in power the SNP can't tell right from wrong.


1) Cllr Alexander Belic 

Picture Not Available

https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/councillorsandcommittees/interests.asp?id=2398&name=Alexander+Belic

Cllr Belic is still employed as a Caseworker by the SNP MP Alison Thewliss, but his entry on the Council's Register of Interests does not explain the time commitment or salary involved.

Cllr Belic's entry does not refer to his £18,604 councillor salary which is paid an hourly rate of around £15.00 an hour. 

Backbench councillors across Scotland are paid a part-time salary of £18,604 which is set at two-thirds of full-time hours - a notional full-time salary of £28,000. 

Alison Thewliss MP

Alison Thewliss — Scottish National Party


2) Cllr Eva Bolander

Picture Not Available

https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/councillorsandcommittees/interests.asp?id=2107&name=Eva+Bolander

Cllr Bolander registers two self-employed jobs and two previous paid roles with Carol Monaghan MP and Sandra White MSP - but there are no details of the time commitment or salary involved.

Cllr Bolander's entry does not refer to her £18,604 councillor salary which is paid an hourly rate of around £15.00 an hour. 

Backbench councillors across Scotland are paid a part-time salary of £18,604 which is set at two-thirds of full-time hours - a notional full-time salary of £28,000. 

Carol Monaghan MP

SNP MP who took refuge in police safe house demands tougher action against  sexist abuse online - Daily Record

Sandra White MSP (now retired)

Sandra White (@SandraWhiteSNP) / Twitter


3) Cllr Graham Campbell

Picture Not Available

https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/councillorsandcommittees/interests.asp?id=2413&name=Graham+Campbell

Cllr Campbell has no new entries on the registers, but records his previous employment with Anne McLaughlin the SNP MP - no details are provided to explain the time commitment or salary involved.

Cllr Campbell's entry does not refer to his £18,604 councillor salary which is paid an hourly rate of around £15.00 an hour. 

Backbench councillors across Scotland are paid a part-time salary of £18,604 which is set at two-thirds of full-time hours - a notional full-time salary of £28,000. 

Anne McLaughlin MP 

Election result records tumble as Anne McLaughlin wins biggest swing in  Glasgow North East - Mirror Online


4) Cllr Christina Cannon

Picture Not Available

https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/councillorsandcommittees/interests.asp?id=2414&name=Christina+Cannon

Cllr Cannon has no new entries on the register, but records various posts with SNP MPs and MSPs Kirsten Oswald, Anne McLaughlin, Ivan McKee (Scottish Minister) and Humza Yousaf (Scottish Minister) 

No details are provided about of the time commitment or salaries involved in these various posts.

Cllr Cannon does not register her councillor salary which is in excess of £27,000 a year, as a full-time senior councillor. 

Humza Yousaf MSP and Scottish Minister

Anne McLaughlin MP

Election result records tumble as Anne McLaughlin wins biggest swing in  Glasgow North East - Mirror Online

Ivan McKee MSP and Scottish Minister

Kirsten Oswald MSP

Kirsten Oswald - Wikipedia


5) Cllr Allan Casey

Picture Not Available

https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/councillorsandcommittees/interests.asp?id=2425&name=Allan+Casey

Cllr Casey has no new entries on the register, but records two paid posts with SNP MP Anne McLaughlin (ended Dec 2020) and SNP MSP Ivan McKee (Scottish Minister).

No details are provided about of the time commitment or salaries involved in these posts.

Cllr Casey does not register his councillor salary which is in excess of £35,000 a year, as a full-time senior councillor.   

Ivan McKee MSP and Scottish Minister 

Anne McLaughlin MP

Election result records tumble as Anne McLaughlin wins biggest swing in  Glasgow North East - Mirror Online


6) Cllr Annette Christie

Picture Not Available

https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/councillorsandcommittees/interests.asp?id=2416&name=Annette+Christie

Cllr Christie has no new entries on the register, but records two paid posts with SNP MP Anne McLaughlin (ended Sept  2017 and March 2020) and another with SNP MSP Ivan McKee (Scottish Minister).

No details are provided about of the time commitment or salaries involved in these posts.

Cllr Christie does not register her councillor salary which is in excess of £27,000 a year, as a full-time senior councillor. 

Anne McLaughlin MP

Election result records tumble as Anne McLaughlin wins biggest swing in  Glasgow North East - Mirror Online

Ivan McKee MSP and Scottish Minister


7) Cllr Laura Doherty

Picture Not Available

https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/councillorsandcommittees/interests.asp?id=2417&name=Laura+Doherty

Cllr Doherty has no new entries on the register, but records her paid post with SNP MP Margaret Ferrier which commenced in January 2020.

No details are provided about of the time commitment or salary involved in any of these posts.

Cllr Doherty's entry does not refer to her £18,604 councillor salary which is paid an hourly rate of around £15.00 an hour. 

Backbench councillors across Scotland are paid a part-time salary of £18,604 which is set at two-thirds of full-time hours - a notional full-time salary of £28,000. 

Margaret Ferrier MP

Margaret Ferrier 'struggling' to recruit staff after posting four job  adverts in 2 months | HeraldScotland


8) Michelle Ferns (now ALBA)

Picture Not Available

https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/councillorsandcommittees/interests.asp?id=2418&name=Michelle+Ferns

Cllr Ferns has no new entries on the register, but records two paid posts with SNP MP Natalie McGarry which ended in 2017 and another with SNP David Linden for 16 hours a week which ended in February 2018.

No details are provided about the salaries for these posts or the time commitment involved in the McGarry post.

Cllr Ferns' entry does not refer to her £18,604 councillor salary which is paid an hourly rate of around £15.00 an hour. 

Backbench councillors across Scotland are paid a part-time salary of £18,604 which is set at two-thirds of full-time hours - a notional full-time salary of £28,000. 

Natalie McGarry MP

Shamed ex-SNP MP Natalie McGarry to fight her 18-month jail term over £25K  fraud

David Linden MP

David Linden MP | Member of Parliament for Glasgow East


9) Cllr Mhairi Hunter

Picture Not Available

https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/councillorsandcommittees/interests.asp?id=1302&name=Mhairi+Hunter

Cllr Ferns has no new entries on the register, but records two additional paid jobs - one as a Board Member of Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS for which receives a salary of around £9,000 for a time commitment of 1 day per week.

The other paid job is as an Office Assistant for Nicola Sturgeon - no salary details are provided for this post nor is there any indication of the time commitment involved

Cllr Hunter does not register her councillor salary which is in excess of £27,000 a year, as a full-time senior councillor. 


10) Cllr Ruari Kelly

Picture Not Available

https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/councillorsandcommittees/interests.asp?id=2422&name=Ruairi+Kelly

Cllr Kelly has no new entries on the register, but records an additional paid job as the Communications Officer for Anne McLaughlin, the SNP MP.

No salary details are provided for the Communications Officer post nor is there any indication of the time commitment involved.

Cllr Kelly does not register her councillor salary which is in excess of £27,000 a year, as a full-time senior councillor. 

Anne McLaughlin MP

Election result records tumble as Anne McLaughlin wins biggest swing in  Glasgow North East - Mirror Online


11) Cllr Jennifer Layden

Picture Not Available

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

Cllr Layden records two additional paid job on the register - one as a caseworker for Margaret Ferrier the SNP MP which ended in October 2020 and another as a Caseworker for Humza Yousaf MSP and Scottish Minister.

No salary details are provided for these posts nor is there any indication of the time commitment involved.

Cllr Layden's job with Humza Yousaf ceased in August 2021 after started writing about these issues on my blog in May 2021.

Cllr Layden does not register her councillor salary which is in excess of £35,000 a year, as a full-time senior councillor. 

Margaret Ferrier MP

Margaret Ferrier 'struggling' to recruit staff after posting four job  adverts in 2 months | HeraldScotland

Humza Yousaf MSP and Scottish Minister


12) Cllr David Turner 

Picture Not Available

https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/councillorsandcommittees/member.asp?id=30&t=Councillor+David+Turner

Cllr Turner has no new entries on the register, but records two additional paid jobs - one as a Support Officer for David Linden the SNP MP and another in the same role for Stewart McDonald the SNP MP

No salary details are provided for these two Support Officer role nor is there any indication of the time commitment involved.

Cllr Turner's entry does not refer to his £18,604 councillor salary which is paid an hourly rate of around £15.00 an hour. 

Backbench councillors across Scotland are paid a part-time salary of £18,604 which is set at two-thirds of full-time hours - a notional full-time salary of £28,000. 

David Linden MP

David Linden MP | Member of Parliament for Glasgow East

Stewart McDonald MP

Stewart Malcolm McDonald


13) Cllr Alex Wilson

Picture Not Available

https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/councillorsandcommittees/interests.asp?id=2118&name=Alex+Wilson

Cllr Wilson records two additional paid job on the register - one as an Appeals Officer for the Department for Work and Pensions and another for the South West Arts and Music Project.

No salary details are provided for these two jobs nor is there any indication of the time commitment involved.

Cllr Wilson does not register his councillor salary which is in excess of £27,000 a year, as a full-time senior councillor. 

 

Who's In Whose Pocket In Glasgow? (April 20, 2022)

I plan to update my 'Who's In Whose Pocket In Glasgow?' post ahead of the local council elections on May 5 2022.

But a quick glance at things in May 2021 showed that no less that three Scottish Ministers - Nicola Sturgeon, Humza Yousaf and Ivan McKee - employed local SNP councillors in their Glasgow constituency offices.

The problem is that if local councillors depend on Scottish Ministers/MSPs or MPs for a large part of their income, how likely are they to speak out and stand up for the interests of their local communities - when push comes to shove.

To my mind there's a clear conflict of interest which helps explain why local government in Scotland has lost its voice after 15 years of SNP rule.

Who's In Whose Pocket In Glasgow? March 17, 2022

My 2021 post about 'Who's In Whose Pocket In Glasgow?' needs updating, but it does highlight a common practice whereby MSPs, Scottish Ministers and MPs recruit local councillors to work in their offices - even when some of the councillors involved already have full-time, well-paid council jobs.  

No wonder Scottish local government has lost its once powerful voice. 

 

Who's In Whose Pocket In Glasgow? (January 21, 2022)

Glasgow City Council's 'Register of Interests' records information about councillors' remuneration although few councillors bother even to explain their own council salaries never mind details of other paid employment.    

The entries in this blog post now need updating, but the details were recorded from the GCC register which was in force in prior to the council elections in May 2021. 

Lots of information is deliberately not included in the register, such as the time councillors spend working for other MSPs and MPs, but it makes very interesting reading nonetheless.

The current minimum salary for a part-time, backbench councillor is £18,604 which is two-thirds of a notional full-time rate of £27,906.

Senior councillors are paid enhanced, full-time salaries because of their additional responsibilities including the Glasgow council leader who is paid a salary of £55,817.


1) Cllr Alexander Belic

Picture Not Available

Employed by Alison Thewliss MP

Alison Thewliss — Scottish National Party


2) Cllr Eva Bolander

Picture Not Available

Employed by:

Carol Monaghan MP 

SNP MP who took refuge in police safe house demands tougher action against  sexist abuse online - Daily Record

Sandra White MSP (now retired)

Sandra White (@SandraWhiteSNP) / Twitter


3) Cllr Graham Campbell

Picture Not Available

Employed by:

Anne McLaughlin MP

Election result records tumble as Anne McLaughlin wins biggest swing in  Glasgow North East - Mirror Online


4) Cllr Christina Cannon

Picture Not Available

Employed by:

Humza Yousaf MSP and Scottish Minister

Anne McLaughlin MP

Election result records tumble as Anne McLaughlin wins biggest swing in  Glasgow North East - Mirror Online

Ivan McKee and Scottish Minister

Kirsten Oswald

Kirsten Oswald - Wikipedia


5) Cllr Allan Casey

Picture Not Available

Employed by:

Ivan McKee MSP and Scottish Minister

Anne McLaughlin MP

Election result records tumble as Anne McLaughlin wins biggest swing in  Glasgow North East - Mirror Online


6) Cllr Annette Christie

Picture Not Available

Employed by:

Anne McLaughlin MP

Election result records tumble as Anne McLaughlin wins biggest swing in  Glasgow North East - Mirror Online

Ivan McKee MSP and Scottish Minister


7) Cllr Laura Doherty

Picture Not Available

Employed by:

Margaret Ferrier MP

Margaret Ferrier 'struggling' to recruit staff after posting four job  adverts in 2 months | HeraldScotland


8) Michelle Ferns (now ALBA)

Picture Not Available

Employed by:

Natalie McGarry MP

Shamed ex-SNP MP Natalie McGarry to fight her 18-month jail term over £25K  fraud

David Linden MP

David Linden MP | Member of Parliament for Glasgow East


9) Cllr Mhairi Hunter

Picture Not Available

Employed by:

Nicola Sturgeon MSP and Scottish Minister


10) Cllr Ruari Kelly

Picture Not Available

Employed by:

Anne McLaughlin MP

Election result records tumble as Anne McLaughlin wins biggest swing in  Glasgow North East - Mirror Online


11) Cllr Jennifer Leyden

Picture Not Available

Employed by:

Humza Yousaf MSP and Scottish Minister


12) Cllr David Turner 

Picture Not Available

Employed by:

David Linden MP

David Linden MP | Member of Parliament for Glasgow East

Stewart McDonald MP

Stewart Malcolm McDonald

 

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