NICOLA Sturgeon has described Glasgow’s shamed Lord Provost as “excellent” despite her charging taxpayers £8000 for clothes, shoes and make-overs.
SNP councillor Eva Bolander apologised and agreed to repay some of the money this week after the full extent of her civil allowance claims was made public.
The spending included £1150 for 23 pairs of shoes, £665 for five coats, £751 for ten haircuts, £240 on hats and £479 on nail treatments.
Labour dubbed her the Imelda Marcos of Scottish politics, after the shoe-obsessed former First Lady of the Philippines.
READ MORE: Glasgow's Lord Provost Eva Bolander issues apology over expenses claims
At First Minister’s Questions, Glasgow Tory MSP Adam Tomkins said: “The SNP’s Lord Provost has ripped off the people of Glasgow - isn’t it time she went?”
Ms Sturgeon replied: “Eva Bolander, who I think is an excellent Lord Provost for the City of Glasgow, has I think rightly and very frankly reflected on some of the expense claims she made, all of which I will say were within the rules, but nevertheless reflected on those and decided herself that she should not have made certain claims.
“I think that is the right decision.”
Ms Bolander is paid a total salary of £39,310 as Lord Provost before expenses, more than the average salary in Glasgow.
However Ms Sturgeon suggested this was not enough to buy all her own clothes.
She told MSPs: “As elected politicians, we all have to be careful and considered about our expense claims, but none of us wants a situation in which the only people who can take on roles - in particular, roles such as Lord Provost, which require attendance at a lot of formal functions - are those who can afford to equip themselves.
“The Lord Provost has herself reflected, and I think that she was right to do so.”
The spending by Ms Bolander, who was elected as an SNP councillor for Anderston in 2015 and became Lord Provost in 2017, was revealed by the Daily Record on Monday.
As Lord Provost, she was entitled to claim up to £5000 a year for items to help her perform her public duties - her Labour predecessor, Saide Doherty, claimed nothing.
She remained silent in the face of immediate calls to resign as Glasgow’s civic leader.
READ MORE: Glasgow's Lord Provost claims £8,000 on clothing and beauty treatments
However on Wednesday she wrote to her fellow councillors to apologise.
She said: “In submitting claims, I have always tried to ask myself the question, ‘would I require this if I were not Lord Provost?’ Each has been made in good faith and scrupulously accounted for, within the rules.
"Although the spending incurred was within the rules, on reflection, there are items which I should not have chosen to reclaim.”
"I am sorry about that and I am in discussion with financial services to come to an arrangement to repay the relevant expenditure."
She has yet to say exactly what she will repay or which items she now regards as excessive.
Ms Sturgeon’s official spokesman later said Ms Sturgeon agreed with Ms Bolander that some of her expense claims had been unjustified and should be repaid.
However he was unable to say what was “excellent” about the Lord Provost.
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