ONE of Scotland's most senior education bosses was suspended amid fears his cash-strapped council would incur Government financial sanctions running into millions.
North Lanarkshire Council took the action against its learning and leisure director Andrew Sutherland while an investigation continues into whether it provided inaccurate data on teacher numbers.
It announced Mr Sutherland's suspension in a statement on Thursday.
It is understood that what has underpinned the move is concerns that inaccurate teacher numbers sent to the Scottish Government, which inspects the figures, could have led to a major penalty.
Earlier this year Finance Secretary John Swinney warned councils which failed to maintain teacher numbers and their pupil-teacher ratio would have their share of a £51 million funding package to boost the figures clawed back.
One senior local government source said: "The census of your teacher numbers happens on a specific day and you can be penalised if you are even a teacher down.
"I've no idea what happened in North Lanarkshire but if your figures don;t add up it could cost you literally millions of pounds."
It is understood the move has prompted other councils to check on their current teacher numbers and pupils ratios to ensure they are accurate.
A spokesman for the council said: “We can confirm that the executive director of Learning and Leisure Services has been suspended pending an internal investigation.
"The investigation concerns the maintenance and accuracy of data on numbers of teaching staff.
"There will be no further comment while this investigation takes place.”
It said it could not comment further. But one senior source within the authority questioned the move, claiming it was implausible for just one individual to be responsible for the data.
The source said: "Various departments would have overlapping responsibility for this. It's difficult to see how Andrew Sutherland alone could be responsible for whatever scale of inaccuracy we have."
Mr Sutherland earned £64,841 in 2013/14, according to North Lanarkshire Council's website.
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