A MAJOR funder of community projects has expressed concerns over the potential involvement of two Glasgow councillors in administering public funds.
Jim Coleman and George Redmond, Labour councillors in Glasgow, were criticised by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) after they approved a £500,000 pay-off to a former regeneration boss.
A report by OSCR said the actions of the two, and former Councillor Catherine McMaster, in giving former Glasgow East Regeneration Agency chief executive, Ronnie Saez, an enhanced pension contribution payout when the organisation was wound up, amounted to "misconduct" and was "wholly unacceptable". Now, the Big Lottery Fund has asked Glasgow Regeneration Agency (GRA) , a separate body, if either of those mentioned in the report are on its board.
The Lotto fund is considering two applications and officials want more information on who will be dealing with the funds if they are granted.
Neither Mr Coleman nor Mr Redmond are members of the GRA board, but sit on several other publicly-funded organisations.
John Mason, Shettleston SNP MSP, said: "Glasgow City Council must act immediately to remove Redmond and Coleman from all boards and trusts."
A spokesman for the Big Lottery Fund said: "We routinely review the capacity of organisations and their Management Committee or Boards to manage Lottery funding effectively."
A GRA spokesman said the councillors were not members of its board.
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council, said: "The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator did not say that members of the GRA board should not be trustees of a charity in the future. It recommended that members undergo training and we will put that in place for all of our councillors who are charity trustees."
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