Committee call in college chief row

Nov 14 2012

The Education Secretary has been urged to appear before a Holyrood committee in a row over a secretly-taped meeting which led to the resignation of a college chairman.

Michael Russell was criticised by opposition MSPs a day after Kirk Ramsay left his job at Stow College in Glasgow.

Mr Ramsay claimed there had been a gross over-reaction to his decision to record a large private meeting where Mr Russell made a speech on the future of the college sector. In a subsequent meeting with the SNP minister, he was urged to resign, which he did, but he likened the situation to "summary justice".

Opposition pressure was also put on the SNP's Stewart Maxwell, convener of the Education Committee, for saying there is no need for an inquiry.

In Holyrood, Conservative MSP Liz Smith said: "None of us in this chamber, except the cabinet secretary himself, is in a position to know what the full facts about the management of this meeting were, and perhaps even more importantly about what communications have taken place.

"Given the claims and counter claims which now exist, and which I suggest have been around for some time within the sector, that there are allegations of cultural bullying from the cabinet secretary, I would suggest there is now a case to answer and that the cabinet secretary is called before the Education Committee."

On Mr Maxwell, she said: "I do not consider it appropriate for the convener of any parliamentary committee, who may after all have to act as the arbiter on this matter, to be judge and jury at the same time. Any convener's first responsibility is to his or her committee, and this is even more important when there is majority government."

Labour education spokesman Hugh Henry criticised the Scottish Government's approach to change in the college sector. "What we have seen from this cabinet secretary and this Government is dictation and dictatorship and imposition and a failure to discuss and take people with them," he said. The Stow College row "paints the cabinet secretary in a bad light", he told Parliament.

Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur said the "astonishing events" have undermined confidence and morale. "By summoning the chair of Stow College to a meeting last week and demanding his resignation, Mr Russell effectively assumed a power of direction by proxy," he said.

Despite the accusations, Mr Russell did not respond in Parliament to the call to appear before the committee. Labour and the Tories were "being negative", he told MSPs.