Stirling Council’s leader has defended claiming expenses for meals on top of the more than £32,000 he already makes.
Labour councillor Chris Kane also accused independent councillor Alasdair Macpherson of trying to publicly shame him by raising the issue.
At a full meeting of the council, Councillor Macpherson said he had read on the Annual Statement of Members Allowance and Expenses 2022/23 that Councillor Kane had claimed £86.59 for meals on top of his £32,459 salary and allowances as a councillor and council leader.
And he asked: “Why do you think it is appropriate to claim for meals when you are already paid so handsomely, especially when hundreds probably thousands of your constituents have to choose between eating and heating because of Tory austerity?”
Councillor Kane said the council had agreed to approve arrangements for the payment of allowances and expenses to elected members “and the approved duties for which this payments could be claimed” at a statutory meeting in May 2022.
This stated: “Councillors will be reimbursed subsistence expenditure actually and reasonably incurred for the purpose of enabling performance of approved duties. Subsistence expenditure is only permissable in respect of meals taken outside the councillor’s electoral ward and not within council premises and are subject to the following maximum amounts: breakfast (where no overnight subsistence is normally claimed) - £8 per day; lunch £12 per day; and dinner £25 per day.”
However, the council leader then took Councillor Macpherson to task over raising the matter of the less than £90 in meal expenses.
“I know you are member of the trade union Unite and as a trade unionist I wonder what you would say to any employer who would try to shame an employee publicly into not claiming for out-of-pocket expenses saying you don’t deserve it and ‘don’t you get paid enough’,” said Councillor Kane.
“It is right and fair that reasonable out-of-pocket expenses related to work are reimbursed for you, for me, and for anybody else in the workplace in any job in every sector across the economy.
“It’s appalling that you think I should be treated any differently to any other employee just because I’m a councillor.
“I have two teenage children, a mortgage and am facing the same soaring energy costs, food costs and living expenses as anyone else in the country.
“If you truly believe what you’re asking rather than just trying to score a spectacularly ill-judged political point you should resign your trade union membership because the values being demonstrated in this question are at odds with everything I know to be in the soul of the trade union movement.”
Councillor Macpherson, however, said he already HAD resigned from Unite.
He said: “Now you’ve opened up a can of worms.
“Coincidentally Councillor Kane, I actually have resigned my Unite membership - for two things.”
Referring to a recent Standards Commission hearing after which Stirling North ward Labour councillor Danny Gibson was suspended for five months for breaching a council code of conduct by bullying a senior official, Councillor Macpherson added: “When Councillor Gibson’s hearing was held there was a trade union person wanted to give evidence and when I heard that I thought I’d had enough.
“I also heard that Frances Curran, who used to be in the TUC, is now a Labour lord in the House of Lords and I thought I’ve had enough, so with the greatest of respect Councillor Kane, I won’t take any lectures from you.”
