£80k for ‘bully row’ police chief who quit
Fury as accounts reveal taxpayer had to foot the bill
THE former head of Police Scotland received more than £80,000 of taxpayers’ money – including money to help move house – after quitting over a bullying scandal, it was revealed yesterday. Phil Gormley left his £214,000a-year job as Chief Constable in February, having been on ‘special leave’ since September last year.
He denied the claims but stepped down after saying it would be ‘impossible’ for him to return following a row which saw his wife Claire publicly claim the bullying probes were a ‘disproportionate fishing expedition’.
It then emerged taxpayers also footed a bill of nearly £100,000 in legal fees and the cost of the investigation.
Last night, Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Liam Kerr said that taxpayers ‘would rightly be annoyed that this money had to be used in this way rather than plugging holes in the SNP’s funding for frontline policing’.
The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) accounts for 2017-18, published yesterday, showed Mr Gormley – now chief inspector of policing south of the Border – received £28,227 for 34 days’ untaken annual leave and £54,137 for three months’ salary in lieu of notice.
‘Removal costs’ of £2,497 were also paid, meaning he walked away with £84,861 – and the bullying claims were permanently shelved.
The accounts also showed £59,280 was paid to PricewaterhouseCoopers to appoint James Gray as interim chief financial officer for three months, until he was appointed full-time in July 2017.
Yesterday, Audit Scotland said of
‘Concerns over balancing budget’
the SPA: ‘Concerns remain about its ability to balance its budget.’
In her report on the accounts, Auditor General Caroline Gardner said no funding had been planned for a major ICT revamp, with estimated costs of £298million.
She added: ‘Policing in Scotland continues to go through considerable change. Progress has been made in key areas but there remains a substantial amount of work to do if the SPA is to achieve long-term financial sustainability and meet the challenges of modern policing.
‘The scale, cost and complexity of the plans needed to deliver that transformational change should not be underestimated.
‘It’s vital that the SPA and Police Scotland develop comprehensive strategies for the future workforce, estates and ICT and clarify where the funding is coming from to make them a reality.’
SPA chairman Professor Susan Deacon said: ‘I do not underestimate the scale of the challenge.
‘I am confident, however, that we are now putting in place the people and the practices needed to build a police service which is fit for purpose, fit for the future and which commands high levels of public confidence and trust.
‘I am determined to ensure we work tirelessly to drive continuous improvement and so ensure the people of Scotland receive the very highest possible standards of policing within available resource and that the governance and oversight of this service is robust and effective.’
Scottish Labour justice spokesman Daniel Johnson said: ‘The SNP Government must look at the findings of this review and finally heed the continued warnings about its underfunding of Police Scotland.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We welcome the continuing improvements the SPA and Police Scotland are making to strengthen financial leadership, financial management and financial governance.
‘We will continue to work with them to support strong financial planning to ensure good progress continues to be made.’