SCOTLAND’S back-to-back elections will see council chiefs secure an unexpected windfall worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, fuelling fresh calls for an urgent overhaul.

In the wake of a Holyrood inquiry into the system of payments to returning officers and with over £1.1 million paid out to just 32 officials in the two years to 2016, parliamentarians, academics and campaigners said change was urgent.

In total, returning officers will claim £200,000 for the June 8 general election, while the council election, just five weeks earlier, will see them share another£100,000.

They will have pocketed an average of £45,000 between 2014 and 2017 solely for their election roles, with those at the helm of bigger authorities receiving top-ups running into six figures on top of basic salaries of between £120,000 and £160,000.

The head of the Scottish Parliament’s local government committee said the payments for overseeing the surprise General Election risked undermining public confidence in the electoral system.

The Electoral Reform Society described the payments as a “misallocation of public funds”, while one leading expert called for the promised review into the payments to be accelerated.

The Herald revealed last year how as well as the £1m-plus pot, council chiefs had used the one-off fees to top up final salary pensions.

The revelations were a catalyst for the committee’s inquiry, with ministers promising a consultation on reviewing the system.

Committee chairman, the SNP’s Bob Doris, said: “We have been clear that the current system lacks transparency and must end. The forthcoming General Election yet again highlights the importance of, and the need to, reform the current system.

“This matter must be reviewed in short order. I again reiterate our committee’s concerns that a lack of transparency could impact on people’s views on the integrity of the system.”

Navraj Singh Ghaleigh, a senior Lecturer at Edinburgh University specialising in electoral law and who gave evidence at the Holyrood inquiry, said: “The Prime Minister’s announcement of a General Election is a stark illustration of how they have become more frequent, and coming on the back of the local elections, how their organisation has been professionalised and routinised. The snap election on June 8, and it’s proximity to the local elections, brings into focus why the review must take place.”

Willie Sullivan, director of the Electoral Reform Society Scotland, added: “The polling clerks, counting staff and the many public servants that make the election run smoothly do great work on average pay. There is no need to pay the big boss of the operation large bonuses when they already receive six figure salaries.

“It is a misallocation of public funds and highlights inequality at the one point where we need to emphasise that elections are for everyone, not a system of legitimising and rewarding the already powerful.”

Fiona Lees, chair of SOLACE Scotland, which represents the 32 chief executives, said: “We remain of the view that elections need to be managed impartially and transparently, offering best value for public money and delivering this places a significant and personal responsibility on returning officers.

“We fully support the anticipated consultation on electoral reform, which will include returning officers’ roles, responsibilities and remuneration and, moving forward, we will continue to offer every assistance to Scottish Government.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “We had already announced, as part of our Programme for Government, plans for a consultation on what electoral reforms the people of Scotland want to see. Fees for returning officers in Scottish Parliament elections will form part of that consultation.”