The principal and interim clerk of troubled South Lanarkshire College have been sacked by the board.
Lanarkshire Live can reveal that principal Aileen McKechnie and clerk Brian Keegan were summoned separately to an extraordinary meeting of the SLC board on Monday evening, where they were finally dealt their fate.
The news was broken to staff at the college late on Tuesday afternoon, with SLC failing to reply to our repeated requests for a comment today.
Ms McKechnie was dramatically suspended from her post without explanation over a year ago - she had previously called for an external investigation into claims of misconduct..
Now it is her that has been accused of gross misconduct.
The announcement to staff came from the chairman of the board of management at SLC.
Leaked to Lanarkshire Live this afternoon from our source, it reads: "After two rigorous, independent, and impartial investigations into their conduct, the SLC board has decided to terminate the employment of principal Aileen McKechnie and interim clerk to the board, Brian Keegan with immediate effect.
"Having considered the responses of Ms McKechnie and Mr Keegan to the investigation reports, the board concluded Ms McKechnie and Mr Keegan were guilty of gross misconduct and therefore the board decided to summarily dismiss Ms McKechnie and Mr Keegan.
"The process for recruiting a new principal will start at once with Alan Sherry continuing as interim principal until an appointment is made."
We exclusively revealed last month that the public purse has been drained of hundreds of thousands of pounds by the institution amidst its ongoing management crisis.
Suspended at the end of November 2021, that saw Ms McKechnie receive her full year’s salary of £125,000, along with pension contributions.
She was replaced by two acting principals who had been paid a combined £125,000 to date, meaning £250,000 of the public purse has been used as remuneration during the debacle.
On top of that, Brian Keegan, was also suspended on full pay, adding further to the already eye-watering tab for the taxpayer to cover.
The information was made available to Lanarkshire Live following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
It showed that two acting principals, whose terms have run consecutively, have been paid at the same salary rate as Ms McKechnie.
Prior to her suspension, Ms McKechnie had called for an external investigation into claims of misconduct at the institution and a probe into “various complaints”.
SLC denies any link between the two and point to the Auditor General for Scotland's letter to the convener of the Public Audit Committee. That letter says the Azets report is not directly linked to the decision to suspend the former principal.
Ms McKechnie’s actions surrounded a report she’d commissioned into serious allegations centred on the construction faculty of the college.
In a highly unusual move, SLC’s EIS-FELA branch upheld a vote of ‘confidence’ in her at that time and called for her reinstatement.
It’s one in a series of damning allegations that have emerged against the college in the last 12 months, including multiple, ongoing suspensions, claims of bullying, and whistleblowing staff.
Lanarkshire Live also revealed at the end of last year how brow-beaten staff were threatened with the sack after flagging up in an email to HR allegations of “unprofessional and inappropriate name-calling.”
But rather than investigate the claims of concerned staff, bosses told them that police may have to become involved, claiming the email was “malicious correspondence”.
We also reported this month how bosses at the troubled institution expressed “serious concerns” of “considerable financial and reputational risks” should they suspend Ms McKechnie.
That came in the form of a letter sent to the Scottish cabinet secretary for education and skills, Shirley-Anne Somerville, on the eve of her dramatic suspension.
Calls for an urgent meeting with Ms Somerville were echoed in another letter sent collectively from MSPs Graham Simpson, Monica Lennon and Gillian Mackay.
The cross-party approach saw concerns raised over the length of time Ms McKechnie has been suspended and “mounting costs – heading towards a million pounds – which are likely to escalate further should she be sacked.”
Mr Simpson told Lanarkshire Live today: "This is a deeply disappointing decision.
"Aileen McKechnie is a highly-respected public servant. It has taken over a year to find a reason to sack her and she has been sitting at home on full pay all that time.
"She was uncovering wrongdoing at the college and she should have been praised for that. Thankfully, I don’t see those practices ever returning to SLC.
"She was, and is, very popular with staff who will now be worried about what the future holds. No doubt she will take this to a tribunal and that could cost the college a fortune.
"It is important that the college moves on from this and starts the healing process."
It’s also understood that Andy Kerr, who ‘stepped down’ as chairman of the board shortly after the suspensions, was also asked to make a separate appearance at last night’s board meeting.
The statement this afternoon reads: "After considering the report into allegations against Andy Kerr, the board concluded that while there were some failings on his part, he had sought to fulfil his role as chair of the college with good intentions, but had been frustrated by the lack of appropriate support from Mr Keegan and the behaviour of Ms McKechnie, which was found to be bullying towards him."
NB: - Since publication of this article, South Lanarkshire College has subsequently removed their statement from its own website. Ms McKechnie has indicated to Lanarkshire Live that she believes the grounds for dismissal are inaccurate and are now subject to formal complaint and legal counsel.
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