South Lanarkshire Councillors claim more than £1.3m in expenses

Jun 5 2008 by John Rowbotham, Hamilton Advertiser

COUNCILLORS in South Lanarkshire were last financial year paid, before deductions, more than £1.3m in salaries and expenses.

Labour’s Eddie McAvoy, who as Council Leader receives a salary of almost £35,000, had the highest claim.

Tory Hamish Stewart charged most for travel expenses, submitting claims of more than £5500, and Blantyre Independent Bert Thomson ran up the highest phone bill with calls costing more than £1800.

Provost Russell Clearie charged £4082 for subsistence. His depute Beith Forrest had claims in that category of £143.22.

Travel expenses totalled almost £81,000 with £39,908 charged for telephone calls and in excess of £14,000 for accommodation and food.

Details of expenses claims have been posted on the council’s website.

They show the claims of the 67 current members of the council plus those of a further 27 who stepped down at the election in May last year.

The claims are also the first to be produced since the introduction of changes in the way in which councillors are remunerated.

From the start of last financial year, councillors were paid a salary instead of a basic allowance.

Councillors without special responsibilities were entitled to a wage of £15,452 per year.

Twenty councillors, who include committee chairman and other office holders, received enhanced salaries.

Among those was Councillor McAvoy whose salary of £34,969 made up most of his pre-tax and National Insurance expenses claim of £37,362.

Provost Clearie, the second highest claimant with pre-deductions expenses totalling £33,900, received a salary of £26,928 plus travel expenses of £2495 and £394 for telephone calls etc.

His £4082 subsistence payment comprised almost 29 per cent of the total amount claimed for food and accommodation by all councilors.

Community committee chairman Gerry Convery was third in the expenses league table with pre-deductions claims of £29,914.

Councillor Convery was one of four councillors to submit claims for travel expenses which totalled more than £4000.

The others to do so were Beith Forrest (£4831), depute council leader Michael McCann (£4623), and Hamish Stewart (£5516).

Councillor Forrest, whose Tory Group prop up the minority ruling Labour Group, chalked up expenses totalling £27,120 before deductions.

Archie Buchanan, who stood down as SNP Group Leader earlier this year, was paid a £22,405 salary and had a claim totalling £23,513 before deductions.

Ten councillors ran up bills of more than £1000 for their mobile phones and “information communication technology”.

They included councillors Stewart (£1165), Allan Falconer (£1387), Bev Gauld (£1065), and Jackie Burns (£1416).

Blantyre councillor Bert Thomson, whose phone bill was £1831, said his council-issue mobile was used “as tool” to keep him in touch with constituents.

“I have not charged anything for travel or subsistence but I have a lot of people who phone on council business and I always phone them back,” he added.

Councillor Stewart, who chairs the Clydesdale area committee, said the size of his travel expenses claim was no surprise.

“I have a (shared) ward that has a larger land area than some European countries,” he added.

Provost Clearie said his subsistence claims reflected his wide-ranging role as “first citizen” for South Lanarkshire Council.

He welcomed the introduction of a salary for councillors and the additional payments for committee chairmen, chairwomen and office bearers.

He added: “I think you have to pay a bit extra to those with extra responsibilities because they have a major workload in South Lanarkshire.”