Police authority chairman quits over ‘distracting’ secrecy row

● Flanagan says controversy took him away from police challenges

The embattled chairman of the Scottish Police Authority is to stand down from the organisation after enduring repeated calls for his resignation.

Andrew Flanagan said a row with a former board member and controversy over a decision to hold meetings in private had become a “prolonged distraction” from the challenges faced by the SPA and Police Scotland.

His position has been repeatedly questioned in recent weeks over a decision – now reversed – to hold the majority of the SPA’S board meetings in private. The decision led to a row with former board member Moi Ali who claims she was effectively forced out of the SPA after speaking out against the plan.

In a statement released yesterday, Mr Flanagan said: “Recent events have focussed on my disagreement with a board member and perceptions of a wider lack of transparency in the SPA. I have apologised to the former board member and put in place changes to the governance processes of the SPA. There are many serious challenges faced by policing in Scotland, but the continued media and parliamentary debate on these issues risks coming a prolonged distraction.” 0 Andrew Flanagan says he does not want the controversy over a decision to hold meetings in private to get in the way of implementation of Police Scotland’s new ten-year strategy

Mr Flanagan said he did not want the controversy to get in the way of implementation of Police Scotland’s new ten-year strategy. He added: “I have therefore taken the decision that it would be in the best interests of policing if I were to step down from my role as chair of the SPA.”

He will stay in post until a successor is appointed.

Speaking on behalf of the cross-party justice sub-committee on policing, Labour MSP Mary Fee said: “We need to take a moment to reflect on one of the key responsibilities which Andrew Flanagan was tasked with when he was appointed SPA chair, and that was to improve openness and transparency. It’s become quite clear in the last few months that considerable concerns have been raised by the justice sub-committee on policing, the public audit committee and by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland that he has not improved openness and transparency.”