FROM Michael Buble and Rangers tickets to gala events and glitzy balls, Glasgow City Council bosses faced accusations that a culture of largesse was insensitive and hypocritical in the face of savage cuts and redundancies.
But the latest disclosures suggest those in the highest levels of public pay in the city are turning their backs on free gifts and hospitality offers.
Details of hospitality offered to senior council officials show the chief executive of Scotland's largest authority declined a private lunch with Tony Blair's spin doctor Alastair Campbell and a farewell bash for a councillor who became an MSP.
The first of a biannual list of all gifts, travel, accommodation, invites to concerts and events, and goods or services offered to senior officers at Glasgow City Council show directors accepting free tickets to the Scottish Cup Final, charity events and dinners.
The details have been released under the spirit of the new Bribery Act 2010, which came into force in the summer of 2011, with all departments of the council adopting a standard approach to how gifts and hospitality offered to staff is logged.
They will now go before a committee every six months.
Official hospitality registers from last year showed that since May 2008, George Black, the council's chief executive, had been a guest at 68 events, including 31 dinners, 12 concerts and shows, 11 sporting events, seven awards galas and five balls.
These included free trips to Wimbledon, Gleneagles and Crystal Palace athletics stadium and football matches involving the Scotland team and Rangers.
Former head of roads, parks and environmental health, Robert Booth, was also shown to have received free tickets to concerts by Michael Buble, Neil Diamond, Coldplay, comedian Al Murray, the Mobo Awards, and matches involving the Scottish football and rugby teams, as well as Rangers.
His successor, Brian Devlin, accepted well over one-third of the hospitality taken up by the council's senior officers in the six months – 13 of the 32 acceptances – before the end of September.
However, this has been put down to his status as one of the newest officers and "getting his face known around the city".
The list also shows Mr Black, Mr Devlin and several top officers turned down invites to a number of events hosted by outgoing councillor Hanzala Malik, who became an MSP in 2011 and stood down from the council in May.
A council spokesman said. "This is another step in the council being as open and transparent as possible."
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