GLASGOW'S Lord Provost has apologised to councillors after claiming thousands of pounds worth of clothes, shoes and underwear on expenses.
Eva Bolander was revealed to have claimed £8000 in taxpayer-funded expenses on shopping, that included 23 pairs of shoes, a £200 hat designed by Kate Moss and £751 for haircuts over more than two and a half years. She has an annual allowance of £5000 but still faced calls to resign.
In a letter to her Glasgow City Council colleagues, Bolander said that expense claims for each of the 150 items were "made in good faith and scrupulously accounted for", adding that none of the charges broke council rules.
However, since the story came to light, Bolander told fellow councillors that there were some purchases she regrets claiming for, and has suggested paying some of the money back.
The SNP councillor wrote: "In submitting claims, I have always tried to ask myself the question, 'would I require this if I were not Lord Provost?' Each has been made in good faith and scrupulously accounted for, within the rules.
"Although the spending incurred was within the rules, on reflection, there are items which I should not have chosen to reclaim. I am sorry about that and I am in discussion with financial services to come to an arrangement to repay the relevant expenditure."
The expenses date from May 2017 to August 2019, and included receipts for make-up, toenail painting, six jackets and five coats.
Defending her right to claim the expenses, Bolander's letter added: "It has always been recognised that the role of Lord Provost carries an additional cost, taking place as it does almost entirely in the public eye.
"However, the role of First Citizen must be open to any elected member of the Council.
"I hope we can all agree that it is appropriate to ensure that members who might take on this position are not excluded from doing so by not having the resources to carry out the role."
Despite the apology to her fellow councillors, Labour and Tory MSPs have renewed their calls for Bolander's resignation.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel