South Lanarkshire chief executive calls in auditors

Oct 7 2010 Hamilton Advertiser

SOUTH Lanarkshire councillors were this week facing an audit of their expenses going back five years.

Accountants from PriceWaterhouseCoopers were called in by chief executive Archie Strang on Friday after he received half a dozen anonymous e-mails, purportedly from disgruntled council workers.

The messages expressed concern for the future of the worker responsible for the loss of £102,000 to African conmen.

There were also claims that SNP Opposition leader Anne Maggs fiddled her expenses when she attended a conference in 2005 along with Councillor Gerry Convery.

Councillor Maggs denies the allegation.

Mr Strang said: “On Friday, I contacted the external auditor given the very tense and embarrassing e-mails that were sailing about.

“He will look at everything, not just the content of the e-mails but the overall financial position because the e-mails cover a whole lot of issues.

“Regarding councillors’ expenses, the auditor will examine what claims were made and what was part of the claims.”

Mr Strang called in the auditors on Friday after receiving an e-mail – also sent to 4000 other South Lanarkshire council staff – from corporate committee chairman Hugh Dunsmuir drawing attention to e-mails he had received from employees.

He asked Mr Strang to investigate the contents of the messages.

One was from a “disgruntled and angry group of South Lanarkshire workers”.

They said they were appalled that some elected members had called for the “sacking” of the member of staff responsible for the loss of £102,000.

The e-mail goes on: “An innocent mistake has been made by a member of staff after the individual was duped by a professional gang of fraudsters,

“Many members will recall that there was no call for the (finance director) Linda Hardie’s head when she lost millions of council (cash) in the Icelandic banks fiasco.”

And the e-mail goes on: “It is widely known that councillor Maggs has claimed expenses illegitimately. Why is she being protected?”

On Friday afternoon, Mr Strang sent a reply to councillor Dunsmuir – again, copying in about 4000 staff – stating that no staff members had raised with him the concerns outlined in the e-mails.

He said the person duped by the conmen “had not been disciplined or disadvantaged”, and added: “The issue in relation to councillor Maggs has been reviewed by the Standards Commission. They have taken no action. As far as I am concerned these matters are closed.”