POLICE Scotland’s new chief constable is to live rent-free in a castle owned by the Government.

Phil Gormley, who earns around £212,000 a year, will stay at the picture-postcard Tulliallan Castle for around six months as part of his relocation package.

Gormley held key positions at the Met, Norfolk Constabulary and the National Crime Agency before coming out of retirement to succeed Sir Stephen House in January.

There has been internal police force speculation about whether he would buy a home in Scotland and move his family with him.

However, it has now been confirmed that Gormley’s short term plan is to live in accommodation provided to him.

Scottish Police Authority chair Andrew Flanagan suggested to Gormley that he could base himself at Tulliallan, an idea the chief constable embraced.

The Castle, which is in Kincardine in Fife, is set amongst 90 acres of parkland and is renowned for its mix of Gothic and Italian-style architecture.

Built in early 19th century, the lavish building has been home to the Scottish Police College (SPC) since early 1950s.

The SPC, now called the Police Scotland College, has over 400 en suite rooms and Gormley will be using the accommodation previously used by the SPC Director.

The complex also boasts a range of other facilities, including a lecture theatre, conference rooms and self-service dining.

A sauna, steam room and swimming pool are listed as amongst the sports and leisure options available to residents.

Although technically the force’s corporate headquarters, Tulliallan is more a training camp than an operational nerve centre and was rarely used by House.

The Herald:

Picture: Gormley getting sworn in at Tulliallan

Calls have been made in recent years for the police service, which faces huge budgets cuts, to give up the Castle.

Asked last year about putting it on the market, House said: “This is a Scottish Government building. It is not ours to sell. What we do is we pay the upkeep but they own it.

“I think government would be more interested in it being used for multi-service training service or cross public-sector, which we are very open to.”

A policing source, who confirmed the chief constable would not be charged rent, said Gormley would live at the Castle for “approximately” six months. The insider could not say what would happen afterwards.

Labour MSP Graeme Pearson, a former senior police officer and ex Director General of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, said: “At a time when budgets for policing are so very tight, I would have thought it proper for Mr Gormley to pay a rent for his accommodation. The provision ... in addition to what can only be described as a generous salary sends out the wrong signals to his staff who are struggling to cope with the cuts imposed on them.”

Police Scotland referred enquiries about the chief constable’s living arrangements to the SPA.

An SPA spokesperson said: “The public recruitment process for the Chief Constable was clear that, where applicable, a package of relocation assistance would be made available in line with police regulations. At the request of the SPA, Phil Gormley took up his post within just a month of being appointed. Shortly after Mr Gormley took up post in January, the Chair of the SPA made a proposal to the Chief Constable that he use existing residential accommodation at Tulliallan Police College for a temporary period. We are pleased that Mr Gormley is content with this proposal.

“We believe that this makes sense for both policing and the public purse. Tulliallan is an existing part of the police estate and this arrangement will provide a considerable saving when compared with the cost of short-term private sector rental accommodation.”