£1,300 a day limo bill for quango boss
...But at least tip was just £188!
THE boss of Scotland’s job creation quango was attacked last night for splashing out public cash after blowing £1,300 a day on car hire.
On a taxpayer-funded trip to the US, Lena Wilson – who announced last week she was standing down as chief executive of Scottish Enterprise – rented a chauffeur-driven luxury Chrysler SUV to ferry her around New York.
She has previously been under fire for taking a lucrative £69,000 second job as a company director while being paid £212,000 a year from the public purse to run the agency.
Now she faces fresh criticism for splashing out taxpayers’ cash during a trip to the US earlier this year.
Documents obtained under Freedom of Information show that, on a single day, Ms Wilson paid out £1,301 of public money – including a £188 tip – for a chauffeur hired to whisk her from appointment to appointment in New York.
Gratuities paid to US drivers from public funds during the trip totalled almost £500.
Ms Wilson insists her decision to hire a bespoke Chrysler SUV and driver was necessary because she had to join a security detail for First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Ms Sturgeon has already been criticised for spending £40,000 attending Scotland Week in the US and Canada in April. Last night, Scottish Labour’s economy spokesman Jackie Baillie said: ‘All public servants have a responsibility to spend taxpayers’ cash wisely, and many will rightly question the need to spend thousands on being chauffeur-driven around New York. This is a substantial sum and the public deserves answers from Scottish Enterprise and the SNP Government.’
Ms Wilson attended events with an aide in New York and San Francisco in the company of the First Minister before going on to Toronto. Documents show that four of her five flights across North America were business class and, combined with her colleague’s travel, the flights cost just under £10,000.
Hotels for the pair cost £1,851. Her New York car hire cost £2,297 and the total US car hire bill amounted to £3,904.
James Price, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Taxpayers across Scotland have every right to be angry that civil servants are treating themselves to these extravagances when most people are struggling to make ends meet.’
A Scottish Enterprise spokesman said the car costs, which included contractual tip charges, covered several staff members and ensured quick, efficient travel between meetings.
‘A big sum and public deserve answers’