SNP Expose Goldie’s Lies

Under pressure Housing Convenor, Gerry Goldie, is once again under attack after its was confirmed he appointed a private sector based housing consultant only a few weeks after taking over the Housing role in Falkirk at the rate to the public purse of £700 per day.

When the SNP first revealed the rate of pay for the controversial consultant, James McAusland, the figures were denied by Mr Goldie (see Falkirk Herald dated 30 November 2007) . However, in a letter to SNP Group Leader, David Alexander Housing & Social Work director, Janet Birks has confirmed that McAusland was indeed paid £700 per day plus daily expenses of £44 between 2nd July and 21st December, a total of £85,560.

The correspondence also confirms that despite the high payments made Mr McAusland was not contracted to produce a report at the end of his term of employment. Instead he was to carry out the tasks of a Housing Head of Service.

The SNP have pointed out that the equivalent salary for a Head of Service is £54.999 a year, less than a third the amount paid to McAusland.

Commenting on the payments SNP leader, David Alexander said,

“Mr Goldie denied that his consultant was being paid £700 per day and has been found out to be not telling the truth on this matter.

The mismanagement of the Housing Service by Mr Goldie is bad enough but to seek to lie to the council and to our tenants is a scandal that can not be swept under the carpet by the weak Labour leadership.

The council leader, Lynda Gow has defended her colleague in the past but even she can not condone such a blatant attempt to mislead the general public.”

The SNP are also angry that the McAusland appointment appears to have been a panic appointment with no long term objective established for his period of employment .

“Falkirk Council’s tenants have been dealt a double whammy by the Labour / Conservative Administration of Falkirk Council.

First they are being asked to pay lottery win proportion fees for a consultant and to add insult to financial injury the department performed worse during the period of his contract according to the department’s own performance indicators.

This means that under this Administration tenants are being asked to pay more for less.”

Councillor Alexander is also angry that now more than six months further on the department is back to the stage it was in July when McAusland was appointed.

“In July we were told that the normal processes for scrutiny of appointments were being set aside because of the urgency of things within the department. Now here we are seven months further on, McAusland has gone, no report exists for change and no plans are in place for a permanent head of service to be put place.

Quite frankly the management of the Housing Department is in crisis and Mr Goldie is failing to deliver the leadership necessary to resolve that crisis.”

In December the SNP called for the removal of Mr Goldie from his position as Convenor of Housing after a high profile attack on the Housing staff by the Labour member. This call was rejected by the Labour and Conservative leaders. Nationalists believe that the “one man band” approach adopted by Mr Goldie is a major obstacle to the proper scrutiny of the service. However, the call for his removal has been given fresh impetus by the revelation that Mr Goldie lied about the fees paid to McAusland. In addition to repeating the call for Goldie to be sacked SNP chiefs are also demanding change including,

1. A greater say for all Councillors, including opposition Councillors in the development of policies for the Housing Department.
2. An all party working group established to develop an improvement plan for the department.
3. An urgent report on the management structure of the department and the opening of discussions on the future structure changes.
4. Separation of the Housing Department structure review from the wider council wide review taking place after the motion approved at the December full council meeting.
   An end to policy making on the hoof by Councillor Goldie.

Said Councillor Alexander,

“Council tenants deserve better than they are getting at the moment. Since the one man band approach has been introduced by Mr Goldie services have become worse as well as more expensive. (See Best Value Report on Performance Indicators)

We need a different approach if this decline is to be reversed and that means using the talents of all members.

There is therefore a responsibility on Mr Goldie to recognise that the Housing Department is not his personal play thing and to deliver a quality service he has to take other members as well as the staff he has abused in the past with him.”