Glasgow leader’s Red Sea junket, as hard-up city sells ‘family silver’
TAXPAYERS will foot a bill for more than £3,000 to send an SNP council leader to a climate conference in Egypt just months after she announced plans to sell off a raft of public buildings.
Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken will jet off to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh in November.
The council agreed on Wednesday to fund her five-day trip to the follow-up to Cop26 in Glasgow, which includes £1,500 for flights and £1,800 for hotel accommodation.
Miss Aitken’s SNP-run administration announced this week that beloved public buildings such as Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and Glasgow City Chambers will be sold to fill council coffers.
The sale is expected to raise around £200million of the £270million required to settle the latest round of equal-pay compensation and costs.
But despite this, at least £3,300 will be spent on sending Miss Aitken to Cop27 in November.
While in North Africa, she is expected to lead a mayoral discussion with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe on climate finance.
Miss Aitken is also expected to sign a charter on sustainability and take up a role as ambassador for ICLEI, a non-governmental body that promotes sustainable development.
Speaking at the city administration committee, business manager Greg Hepburn said: ‘Given the need to address global climate issues, our own commitments which must extend beyond our role as Cop26 hosts, it is only appropriate that Glasgow is represented at this event.’
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Taxpayers are tired of footing the bill for expensive foreign jollies.’
Opposition councillors have also raised concerns about Miss Aitken’s visit to the Egyptian city due to the country’s poor human rights record.
The Scottish Green Party forwarded an amendment calling on the Langside councillor to engage in talks regarding civil liberties.
Scottish Green leader Jon Molyneux said: ‘As a council we played a part in facilitating protests, but in Egypt my understanding is that protests will only be permitted in a designated area that is held well away from the talks themselves.
‘The current Egyptian Government has a record of not allowing dissent and there are several political prisoners including human rights activists and journalists who are detained unlawfully.’
Miss Aitken responded: ‘The venue of Egypt was the UN’s choice. It was designated to be an African Cop this year and that does present some challenges around the freedom to protest and mobilise as activists or a civil society in the way you described.
‘It is entirely appropriate that those of us who value that make those representations.’
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council told the Scottish Daily Mail that Miss Aitken will be handed £25 in daily expenses. He added that it is anticipated Miss Aitken will be joined by an officer during her travels.
‘Expensive foreign jollies’