Ongoing concerns over the running of South Lanarkshire College came under the microscope at the Scottish Parliament yesterday.
It comes following the suspension three months ago of the college principal and clerk to the board.
Speaking in Parliament, Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay asked the Scottish Government what action it is taking in light of reports of concerns about governance at the East Kilbride college.
Education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville replied: "The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) is responsible for investigating any potential issues around college governance.
"Following an independent review of governance at SLC, the SFC continues to work closely with the regional strategic body to ensure arrangements are in place to secure good governance, sound leadership and positive outcomes for students.
"Ministers' paramount interest is safeguarding the quality of learning at SLC and the high standards of governance are crucial to ensuring this.
"The SFC will continue to provide updates to the Scottish Government as required."
With parliamentary attention now turned on the troubled educational institution, Lanarkshire Live can reveal that a whistle-blower has sent a letter to SLC and five other public bodies containing stinging allegations and claims of “bullying, intimidation, harassment, theft and fraud over many years” within its ranks.
Sent to SLC, New College Lanarkshire, the Scottish Funding Council, the Scottish Government, Audit Scotland and Investors in People, the letter’s author – a former college employee – tells recipients he has chosen to remain anonymous “due to a fear of retaliation".
A copy of the three-page letter has been passed exclusively to Lanarkshire Live, and we have knowledge of the author’s identity.
In the correspondence, the former employee states that he feels "compelled to write this whistle-blowing complaint to the college, under the terms of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998," following previous reports about developments at the college published by Lanarkshire Live.
These included the dramatic suspension three months ago of principal and chief executive, Aileen McKechnie, and interim clerk to the board, Brian Keegan.
Last September, three months prior to her suspension, we revealed that Ms McKechnie – who took up the post in April 2020 following the retiral after 18 years’ service of principal Stuart McKillop – had called in external forensic investigators after concerns were raised over alleged misconduct within the institution’s ranks.
When pressed by Lanarkshire Live at that time, college chiefs refused to provide information about the nature of the concerns that prompted the investigation and its cost, or to reveal how many resulting recommendations were made.
McKenchie and Keegan were “temporarily removed from their positions” in December amid allegations of “bullying, harassment, breaches of governance and behaviour and conduct,” which sources claim were levelled at the board and not at the executives who were suspended.
College bosses said the decision to suspend the pair was taken to provide "ongoing good governance and sound leadership at the college" and "positive outcomes for students".
Immediately following the suspensions, the college’s Further Education Lecturers’ Association (EIS-FELA) members overwhelmingly backed a vote of no confidence in the board’s chairman, Andy Kerr – a result described by the trade union as "emphatic".
But in a highly unusual move, members also voted overwhelmingly in favour of supporting suspended principal, Aileen McKechnie, in her endeavours to ensure transparency within the college. The motion was unanimously endorsed by support staff who are members of Unison.
Posting on social media, the EIS-FELA branch at SLC also called for the reinstatement of the principal and clerk to the board "with immediate effect".
More than three months later, the pair remain suspended, with depute principal Liz McIntyre continuing to oversee college operations.
The college has now refused to release the report that preceded events leading to the suspension of McKechnie and Keegan.
Referring to this investigation and previous alleged complaints from within the college, the whistle-blower’s letter states: "No public statement has been made about any real action taken to deal with the complaints; no sign of any police or other involvement; no sign of any action taken against senior staff."
The letter, which gives accounts of alleged cronyism at the college, also states: “For too long, the toxic culture at SLC has been allowed to continue unabated.
"There was some hope with the introduction of the new principal and the culture changes she tried to implement. That hope has now been extinguished.
"This college will go to the dogs if proper processes are not introduced to protect staff, to protect students, to protect public funds – and maintained in what is a public body and a charity."
In recent weeks, a further two individuals have come forward to Lanarkshire Live with allegations of bullying and cronyism at the college, similar to those contained within the whistle-blower’s letter and verbal accounts he has given to Lanarkshire Live.
A spokesman for South Lanarkshire College told us: “Following an independent review of governance, we have taken steps to secure the ongoing good governance and sound leadership of the college and to ensure positive outcomes for students.
“The decision to commission internal audit to undertake this review was taken by the college’s audit and risk committee and in line with standard practice, internal audit reports are not routinely made publicly available.
“However, the audit committee intends to review this practice going forward. The internal audit report made a number of recommendations for improvement, all of which have been accepted in full and have or are being implemented.”
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